


Big Baby (Sequel to Cry Baby) (Frerard)

by asotmGee



Category: Fall Out Boy, Melanie Martinez (Musician), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Disability, Dreams, Hearing Voices, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Trust Issues, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:49:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11260728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asotmGee/pseuds/asotmGee
Summary: Gerard Way is now twenty-three and lives in a group home, where he's learning to become a responsible adult. It's been six years since Frank Iero came into his life, only to vanish without a trace after all the horrible things he's done to him. Despite all this, Gerard longs for Frank, wondering why he suddenly disappeared. After Gerard starts to hear Frank's voice in his mind and has constant dreams of him, he realizes that he is far away, but is calling for him. Wanting to be reunited with his special friend, Gerard sets out on a long and grueling journey to look for him.WARNING: THIS STORY HAS CONTENT THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND UPSETTING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.





	1. Chapter 1

Gerard looked out the window of his room as he waited for Mikey’s car to pull up in the driveway, his body giddy and jumping with excitement while his hand held the get well soon card he made for his mom in the hospital. Today was Sunday, which not only meant both he and Mikey were off work today, but it also was the day Mikey comes to visit his brother in the Rainbow House group home. Every Sunday, Mikey would visit Gerard and take him out somewhere, usually to dinner and a movie if anything good was playing. Earlier last week, they talked on the phone about their plans to go out to dinner and see mom in the hospital, who’s been battling lung cancer for a year and a half now. Mikey warned Gerard of their mom’s rapidly deteriorating condition as of lately, but Gerard was confident that Donna would pull through. She was one hell of a fighter, and Gerard knew that the doctors were doing all they can to take care of his sick mother. He knew she won’t die anyway; people only die in the movies.  
Gerard’s eyes lit up as he saw Mikey’s shiny and fancy-looking black car pull up in the front driveway. He smiled ear to ear, running out of his room and down the stairs to the front door. He swung it open and ran right to Mikey before he could walk up the front porch to the door.  
“M-mikey!” Gerard exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his brother, who nearly fell over from being almost knocked over as Gerard hugged him. He accepted it, hugging him back.  
“Hey, buddy. How are you?”  
“I’m g-good!” Gerard replied, letting go of Mikey. He held up the card he made with crudely drawn hearts drawn all over it and “get well soon” written in chicken-scratch handwriting. “I m-made th-this for m-mommy!”  
“That’s nice, Gee. Hang on to that so you can give it to her when we see her. You ready to go?”  
“Y-yeah! I g-gotta get m-my c-coat, b-be right b-back, Mikey!” Gerard said, walking back into the house to the coat closet near the kitchen. As he did, he saw a furry pink figure emerge out of the corner of his eye. He knew who it was, and smiled.  
“H-hi, Lola!” Gerard waved as he opened up the closet door. He couldn’t help but look concerned for his friend. She didn’t look too happy.  
“Gerard, something bad is gonna happen,” Lola said somberly.  
“Wh-what? Wh-why?” Gerard frowned, turning to her and forgetting to look for his coat. “Wh-what do y-you mean?”  
“It’s your mother. She...she isn’t gonna make it. She’s gonna die,” Lola replied reluctantly. “I’m sorry,”  
“N-no! Y-you’re lying! M-mommy isn’t g-gonna d-die!” Gerard revolted angrily. “P-people only d-die on t-t.v!”  
“Gerard...you don’t understand,” Lola sighed. “The doctors have been struggling to keep her alive. She’s getting weaker. She doesn’t have much time left to--”  
“Sh-shut up, L-lola! Y-you’re a big f-fat l-liar!” Gerard spat, grabbing his coat and walking away from Lola. He went back outside to Mikey, putting on his black jacket.  
“You okay, Gee?” Mikey asked, his brow furrowed at his brother. “You took a while in there,”  
“S-sorry, it t-took me a wh-while to f-find my c-coat,” Gerard replied, lying. He took long because he was talking to Lola, but he knew Mikey hated it when he brought her up. He didn’t know why, though.  
“Alright. Come on, get in,” Mikey said, opening up the passenger seat for Gerard. He got inside and fastened his seatbelt. Mikey then got in and turned on the engine, pulling out of the driveway and playing some Morrissey from the radio. He knew Gerard liked to listen to him a lot before what tragically happened to him all those years ago, changing him into a completely different person. He knew that even though Gerard is still damaged, he was happy for him. He’s come a long way from where he started more than a decade ago, being hooked up to a series of machines and bed-bound, not remembering nearly anything. He smiled bittersweetly. “Hey, Gee...can I tell you something?”  
“Wh-what, M-mikey?” Gerard asked.  
“I...I’m very proud of you. You know that, right? You’ve learned so much since mom put you in the Rainbow House. You got yourself a part-time job, you’re making money, you learned how to read and count really good, you help do chores around the house, and you’re learning to take care of yourself, Gee. Mom’s really proud of you too,”  
“I-I know, M-mikey,” Gerard said, smiling back. He suddenly thought of what Lola told him earlier and frowned. He knew she was wrong. Donna just had to make it out alive. He knew dying was a myth. Doctors can fix people and stop them from dying, too. “H-hey, c-can I ask y-you s-something?”  
“What?”  
“M-mommy is g-gonna be okay...r-right? Sh-she isn’t g-gonna d-die, is sh-she?” Gerard asked shakily. Mikey felt a pang in his chest when he heard his brother ask those questions. He sighed deeply, shutting his eyes for a second, then opening them back up.  
“Gerard...she’s really sick. I told you she hasn’t been doing too well, haven’t I?” he said.  
“Y-yeah, y-you did, b-but...sh-she c-can’t d-die. P-people only d-die in b-books and m-movies, right?”  
“Well...no, Gerard. That’s not true,” Mikey replied sullenly. “People do die in the real world. You remember grandma, how we never saw her? She died when you were a baby, and grandpa died long before either of us were born. You also remember when our dog Maggie died a couple years ago, right?”  
“Yeah, b-but...th-they were all v-very old! M-mommy is n-not old!” Gerard refuted, his voice shaky. “M-mommy c-can’t d-die!”  
“I’m sorry, but...there’s a possibility she might. The best we can do is hope that she pulls through. The doctors did say there’s a slight chance she’ll survive, and they’re doing their best to help her,”  
“I...I h-hope you’re r-right, M-mikey! Sh-she’s gotta l-live!” Gerard said, gripping the paper card in his hand tighter as he shook, wrinkling it.  
“Let’s worry about mom when we get to the hospital. What are you in the mood to eat, Gerard?” Mikey asked in an attempt to change the subject, pulling up to a red light.  
“C-can we g-go to Olive G-garden? I w-want s-soup, s-salad, and b-breadsticks!”  
“Sure, Gee. It might be a while before we get there, though. Traffic’s really bad right now, and it won’t be any better when we drive to the hospital,”  
“Th-that’s okay. I’ll t-take a n-nap,” Gerard said, leaning his head against the window and shutting his eyes. It wasn’t long before he felt himself fall into sleep mode, since he woke up early this morning.

_ _ _  
Gerard felt warm. He was in bed wearing a pair of Batman pajamas, with someone’s arms wrapped around him as he laid down. His eyes scanned the room he was in--he was in his own room that he slept in when he used to live with mom. He loved how warm he felt. He smiled, looking up at the person holding him. It was a young man with nothing but his boxers on and styled black hair. He knew this man. He smiled down at Gerard.  
“Hey, Gee,” the man said, carding his fingers through Gerard’s black hair. “You know something?”  
“Wh-what?” Gerard asked.  
“You’re beautiful,” the man said, leaning forward and kissing Gerard. He kissed his lips again and again, then took his face with both hands as his lips went to town on Gerard’s. Feeling stiff and unsure what to do, he just shut his eyes and imitated what the man did, grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him back. He felt the man’s hands slither down his body, moving from his chest to his stomach, then down to his groin and under his pants, wrapping one of his hands around his penis and stroking it. Gerard felt himself tingle downstairs, unsure why the man would do something like that. The man then pulled down Gerard’s pants with his free hand, his other one still jerking him off. Gerard felt himself moan, enjoying whatever it was that the man was doing him. He went faster as their lips did the same, making Gerard pant and moan loudly. He soon felt himself ejaculate, his cum splattering all over the man’s hand. Gerard felt weak and tired, collapsing on the man’s chest. He smiled, kissing Gerard’s head.  
“Wh-what did w-we just d-do?” Gerard asked the man.  
“I told you, Gee...we played a game,” he laughed, returning to stroking Gerard’s hair. “Did you enjoy it?”  
“Y-yeah, I d-did...F-frankie,” Gerard smiled back.

_ _ _  
“Gerard? Come on, Gerard. Wake up!”  
Gerard nearly jumped in his seat when his eyes opened, hearing a familiar voice. He looked up to see Mikey, who had been lightly tapping his shoulder. He smiled, shaking his head.  
“Looks like you really needed that nap, Gee,” Mikey laughed. “Come on out. We’re here,”  
“W-we are?” Gerard asked, turning to see that their car was in the parking lot of Olive Garden. He had been passed out the whole ride there, and had a strange dream about someone he’s seen before...someone he hasn’t seen or heard from in a long time, someone that was his special friend. “Oh, okay. S-sorry, M-mikey,”  
“It’s okay, Gee. Let’s go inside, okay?”  
“Okay,” Gerard said, stepping out of the car and following Mikey inside the restaurant. He wondered why he suddenly dreamt of his friend after not seeing him for so long. He didn’t even know why he never saw him again. Did Gerard do something wrong? Was this friend mad at him for something? If so, Gerard didn’t know what. He kept thinking about this the whole time they waited to be seated in the restaurant.


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner, Mikey and Gerard made their way to the hospital to see their mother. Throughout the entire ride, Gerard kept himself occupied watching Toy Story on Mikey’s tablet as he held his leftovers box and his mom’s card. As he watched his movie, he kept thinking about two things-- his conversation he had with Lola about his mom, and the dream he had earlier about Frank. Thinking about it all so much overwhelmed him to the point that he was barely able to focus on his movie. He hoped to himself that his mom was gonna be alright. He knew that Lola sometimes would play tricks with his mind, like all those times that she said that the boogeyman was out to get him. Gerard eventually learned that the boogeyman wasn’t real after all, thanks to all the appointments he’s had with his psychiatrist Dr. Martinez. Lola had to be wrong about his mom dying. She just had to be.  
Gerard also thought about Frank. He remembered all those times he would come over to his house after school while his mom was at work. He remembered playing so many “games” with him, as Frank called them. One of them he remembered was when Frank would play with his manhood, stroking and sucking on it until some weird white stuff came out of it. Sometimes Frank would play these games with Gerard with him dressed up in a black outfit with tights and cuffed to the bed. Other times, Frank would play a game with Gerard that he had mixed feelings about, where Frank would put his “pee-pee” (as Gerard used to call it) in his butt, thrusting back and forth with it inside. Gerard remembered it would hurt him, and he didn’t know why Frank took interest in playing such a game. He also remembered that he would sometimes feel dizzy and disoriented before Frank would play this game with him sometimes, and it would make him hurt less. Gerard didn’t know why this was so. After every time Frank would play his games with Gerard, he would treat him with candy and ice cream. He didn’t know why Frank suddenly disappeared. He didn’t know what happened to him before he would play all those games with him. He really wished he knew. There was a part of him that missed him and his games.  
Mikey and Gerard soon made it to the hospital after what seemed like hours, driving their car into the parking lot and turning off the engine. They walked through the front lobby to the lady at the desk, where Mikey signed in and walked with Gerard up the elevator to the third floor. When they walked towards her room, they were greeted by her doctor. Mikey felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw the somber look on his face.  
“How is she, Dr. Johnson?” he asked.  
“I’m sorry, but...she hasn’t been getting any better. In fact, she’s gotten worse,” Dr. Johnson sighed. “We’re starting to doubt that she has a chance at pulling through. She has a five percent chance, at best,”  
“Oh, no...just what I feared…,” Mikey said woefully, his eyes forlorn as he looked down at his feet.  
“Wh-what? What’s wr-wrong with h-her?” a confused Gerard asked, turning to his brother for answers. “Is sh-she g-gonna be o-okay?”  
“Listen,” Dr. Johnson said, turning to Gerard. “We did our best to take care of your mother, but...the chemo isn’t working like it used to, and the cancer’s gotten worse. She’s grown tired and weak from all the fighting she’s done. The best we can all do is make sure she’s comfortable,”  
“B-but...sh-she’s not g-gonna d-die, is sh-she?” Gerard asked, still unable to fully grasp the situation he and Mikey have been faced with. Despite this, he felt a sense of panic and dread within him. He knew something was very wrong, but his mind was so far in denial that he couldn’t point out what it was.  
“Is she at least conscious?” Mikey asked.  
“Yes, she is. She’s been very nauseous and sleeping a lot from the medicine we’ve given her to ease her pain, but she can still hear, see, and talk to you. Listen to her closely, though. Her voice is very weak and hoarse,”  
“Okay, thank you,” Mikey nodded, feeling his voice quiver from the tears he tried to hold back. He turned to Gerard, who still looked confused, looking to his brother for the answers he wanted to hear. “Come on, Gee. Let’s go see mom,”  
“Okay,” Gerard nodded back, following Mikey down the hall. They soon stopped in front of room 3124, where their mom awaited for her sons.  
“Gerard, before we go in… please be gentle and quiet around her, okay?” Mikey asked as he held onto the doorknob of his mom’s room. Gerard nodded, eager to step inside and give her the card he made the day before. Slowly, the Way brothers stepped inside the room, seeing their mother lying in the hospital bed she’s been bound to due to her illness, sound asleep. Mikey couldn’t help but let a few tears slip from his eyes, seeing his mother weak and frail. Her blonde hair was absent from her head and her eyes were sunken. She looked so thin like she hasn’t eaten in days, maybe even weeks. She still had an oxygen cannula hooked up to her nose like she always did since she was first admitted, as well as other machines working for her dying body. One of them beeped repeatedly, monitoring her heart rate. Mikey knew she looked much worse than she did last week. Gerard, on the other hand, smiled despite seeing his mother in such a terrible state. He knew she was sick, but still happy to see her nonetheless. What Dr. Johnson told him about Donna earlier clearly hadn’t sunken into his head. He still felt something was wrong, though.  
“M-mommy’s sleeping, M-mikey,” Gerard said, sitting down in a chair at Donna’s bedside.  
“She is, Gerard. Don’t wake her up,” Mikey replied, joining him. He slowly wrapped his hand around one of his mother’s, rubbing his thumb over it softly. As he did, he felt his tears get the best of him, crying in silence as he sniffled.  
“M-mikey, wh-why are y-you c-crying?” Gerard asked, giving Mikey a concerned look. “M-mommy doesn’t l-like t-to see y-you s-sad,”  
“He’s right, you know…,” a distinct voice spoke, sounding weak and hoarse. The Way brothers turned to find their mother slowly opening up her eyes, smiling at her two sons.  
“M-mommy!” Gerard smiled, holding up his card he made for his mom. “L-look wh-what I m-made f-for you!”  
“Oh, let me see,” Donna replied, taking the card from Gerard and reading it. “It’s beautiful, Ger-bear. Thank you. You can put it next to my flower vase,”  
“Y-you’re w-welcome,” Gerard said, taking back the card and placing it next to the vase of flowers on the nightstand next to Donna’s bed. He suddenly remembered the good news he wanted to announce to her regarding his part time job at the local movie theater as a janitor. “H-hey m-mommy, g-guess wh-what?”  
“What?”  
“I-I g-get p-promoted next m-month at m-my job! I g-get to w-work at the s-snack b-bar, wh-where th-there’s p-popcorn, c-candy, and s-soda,”  
“Oh, that’s great,” Donna said, before falling into one of her many coughing fits, wheezing and gasping for air.  
“Are you okay, mom? You want some water?” Mikey asked.  
“No, I’m fine. Don’t go bug the nurses here. They’ve got more important things to do than to take care of me,” Donna replied.  
“Don’t talk like that,” Mikey argued. “Their job is to take care of you,”  
“I know, but...there’s no chance that I’m gonna survive no matter what they do. Even the doctor said I’m not gonna make it. The people that work here should focus on the patients that do have a chance at surviving...especially the children here. They have their whole lives ahead of them. Not me, though. I’m at the end of the line,”  
“Mom, please stop talking like that...please,” Mikey begged shakily, his face contorted to a look of trying to hold back his tears, but failing.  
“M-mommy...wh-what are y-you t-talking about?” Gerard asked, naive yet panicked.  
“Gerard,” Donna said weakly, looking her eldest son sincerely in the eye before she nearly coughed and hacked her lungs out. She reached out a hand to Gerard’s and held it tight in her’s. “I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again one last time--I am so proud of you. I couldn’t ask for a better first son. You’ve come so far from where you’ve started all those years ago. You’re becoming responsible. You’re learning to become more independent. Now look at you--you’re getting a promotion at work. And you, Mikey…,” Donna paused as her free hand took Mikey’s. “I’m very proud of you too. Not just for helping your brother, but for how much you’ve accomplished as well. You did good in school and kept your little nose clean. You got accepted into that university you so badly wanted to get into, and you excelled greatly there. You’ve got a degree in business, and you’ve got an amazing fiance. Keep her close to you, Michael. She’s a keeper. I am sorry I won’t be there in the future to see you two walk down the aisle and exchange your vows, but your brother here will. Please, continue to take care of him for me...okay?”  
“Mom, please...you’re not gonna leave us now. You’re not gonna die now…,” Mikey sniffled as tears ran from his raw hazel eyes. “You will make it to see me and Kristen get married. You will live to see Gerard grow. Please--”  
“M-mikey, s-stop c-crying...you’re s-scaring me and m-mommy,” Gerard fussed, looking to his mom for approval. “R-right, m-mommy?”  
“Ger-bear...he has a right to be sad, and I’m not scared. I’m happy. I’ve raised two wonderful young boys. My job is done now. Even when I’m gone, I’ll die happy knowing I’ve accomplished a job well done…,”  
“Wh-what? Y-you’re not g-gonna die, m-mommy!” Gerard nearly yelled, feeling a pang in his chest and now only realizing what was really happening, his denial fading away. “I w-won’t let y-you d-die, m-mommy!”  
“I’m tired, boys…,” Donna said as a single tear ran from one of her hazel eyes. “It’s time for me to rest now. I love you both so much. Goodnight…,”  
Donna slowly shut her eyes, leaving Gerard panicked and Mikey weeping. They both felt her hands fall limp in theirs as the machines around her began to beep loudly, indicating that the body they’re supporting is giving in on them. As Mikey cried into his fading mother’s hand, Gerard leaned forward and began to shake her lifeless body, his eyes wide with dismay and helplessness.  
“M-mommy, w-wake up! M-mommy!” he yelled, his mother’s body unresponsive in his shaking hands. “M-mommy, m-mommy, w-wake up!”  
“Gerard...you gotta let go,” Mikey said shakily as he continued to cry uncontrollably, putting a firm hand on his brother’s shoulder, the brief denial in his heart he previously held now gone. “She’s not gonna wake up. She’s gone. She’s in a better place now,”  
“N-no, y-you’re lying!” Gerard shouted back, venom in his shaky voice as he continued to hold Donna’s body close to his. “Sh-she’s j-just sleeping! Sh-she has t-to wake up!”  
Behind the Way brothers, a few aides and nurses walked in along with Dr. Johnson, all of them aware of the patient that just passed away. The doctor put a hand on Gerard’s, begging to let go of her.  
“I’m sorry, Gerard… I know it’s hard, but you gotta let go. You’re disturbing the other patients--”  
“N-no! Y-you’re all w-wrong!” Gerard screamed, slapping away Dr. Johnson’s hand as tears began to wet his distraught eyes. “Sh-she’s not d-dead! Sh-she’s j-just s-sleeping...sh-she’s not d-dead!”  
Dr. Johnson turned to the aides, whispering a few words with them. They nodded, walking over to the frantic Gerard and together firmly pulling him away from his mother’s corpse and out of the room, exchanging soothing words of reassurance to him as Gerard kicked and screamed under their hold, crying out for his mother.


	3. Chapter 3

Gerard had to be sedated and was forced to stay overnight at the hospital after his mother’s demise. Mikey was shocked, yet sighed with relief when he was told that Gerard didn’t have to stay upstairs in the psychiatric floor, despite all that ensued after Donna died. Mikey recalled Gerard screaming, hitting himself and the hospital staff and security guards, cursing at all of them and throwing chairs, and most of all, crying. He cried his heart and soul out, crying his mother’s name as he was strapped down to a hospital bed and was forced to be confronted with his irrational fear of needles. He cried until he could have sworn that his lungs gave out. That night was forever.  
Mikey decided that it was best that Gerard did not attend Donna’s wake and funeral. He knew he couldn’t handle it, and the last thing he wanted was to have Gerard have a meltdown and make a scene there during a time of mourning and peace. He made sure with the administration with the Rainbow House to keep him home and unaware of these events, and thankfully, they did. For the past two weeks, Gerard was able to take time off work to cope with his loss. As Mikey pulled into the driveway of Gerard’s group home on a Friday morning, he hoped to himself that Gerard got enough time to do so. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t. Mikey walked upstairs to Gerard’s bedroom after checking in and lightly tapped on the door, peeking inside to see Gerard passed out in bed. He frowned, seeing Gerard unlike his usual self. He’s known his brother for staying outta bed all day, usually either playing with his toys or coloring when he wasn’t at work. He’s clearly still unable to cope with Donna’s death despite the therapy and counseling he’s received, but also wasn’t surprised. Mikey himself could barely come to terms with it too.  
“Gee,” he whispered, lightly shaking Gerard’s shoulder as his body laid sprawled under the covers of his bed. He sleepily opened his eyes, mumbling and groaning as he turned away from Mikey and towards the wall. “Come on, Gee. Wake up. I’m here. I wanna talk to you for a bit,”  
“I d-don’t wanna,” Gerard whined sleepily.  
“Come on, Gee. Please?” Mikey begged. He sighed deeply, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “I just wanna check up on you. Did you sleep okay?”  
“N-no,” Gerard replied, shaking his head.  
“Why not? Did you have a bad dream?”  
Gerard didn’t answer. He turned over to face Mikey, his sleepy eyes slowly opening. Mikey could tell by the dark bags under his eyes that Gerard wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t sleep well. His face grimaced to a look of pure distress.  
“I-I miss m-mommy,” he said, his voice shaking up from the tears that began to well up in his eyes.  
“I know, Gee. I know,” Mikey sighed again, taking his brother into his arms, letting him cry into his shirt. “I miss her too,”  
“I-I want h-her b-back!” Gerard pouted. “Wh-why did m-mommy have to d-die? It’s n-not fair!”  
“Well, Gee…,” Mikey paused, thinking long and hard about what to say to his mourning brother. “She had cancer. She was really sick and suffering. It was her time to go. At least she’s not suffering anymore, you know?”  
“I don’t c-care, I w-want her b-back! I want m-mommy b-back!” Gerard yelled, his voice muffled into Mikey’s shirt. Mikey continued to hold him, stroking his oily hair.  
“I do too, Gee. I know. I want her back too,” Mikey said, slowly shaking his head. He really wanted to help his brother learn to accept what happened to their mother, even if he knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. Gerard eventually has to return to work and back to his normal self. It was heartbreaking to see him so forlorn. “Tell you what, Gee. I get off work early today. How about we go out for some ice cream later?”  
“O-okay. Ice c-cream sounds g-good,” Gerard nodded. “C-can I g-go back t-to s-sleep? I’m v-very tired,”  
“Yeah, that’s fine. You get some good rest, okay?” Mikey stood up, making his way to the bedroom door. “I’ll come pick you up at around two, is that okay?”  
“Y-yeah, that’s o-okay,” Gerard replied, wrapping himself under the covers again and closing his eyes.  
“Bye, Gee. See you later,” Mikey said as he left, shutting the door behind him. It wasn’t very long before Gerard lost consciousness, his world around him fading to black.

_ _ _  
“Gee? Come on, beautiful. Open your eyes,” a voice called out, one that sounded familiar to him. He obeyed it, his eyelids opening up. He looked around to find that he was surrounded by nothing but pure white, like he was in some kind of limbo. It wasn’t like that for long, though. He looked in front of him and saw someone; someone he’s seen before, but hasn’t seen before in so long, and he didn’t know why that was the case. The young man with styled black hair and a lip piercing smiled down at him, his face so beautiful and welcoming.  
“F-frankie?” Gerard asked, rubbing his tired eyes. “Is th-that you?”  
“Yes, Gee. It’s me. You can see me, right?”  
“Y-yeah,” Gerard nodded as he smiled. “Wh-where are we?”  
“In your mind. You’re dreaming,” Frank replied, holding out his hand. “Come on. Up on your feet, pumpkin,”  
“Wh-where have y-you been, F-frankie? I m-miss y-you!” Gerard pouted as he took Frank’s hand and got up to his feet. He needed to know why Frank has been gone for so long. He was his special friend, after all.  
“Away, Gee. I still am. Right now you can only see me in your head. I can still talk to you...just not really in person,”  
“Wh-why not, F-frankie? I m-miss you!”  
“I just told you, Gee. I’m away. You’ve gotta come find me. You can talk to me up in here though,” Frank said, pointing a finger to his head. “You can hear my voice in your head when you’re awake. You understand what I’m telling you?”  
“B-but I wanna b-be with y-you, F-frankie! Wh-where can I f-find you?”  
“You gotta find that out yourself, Gee,” Frank smirked, one of his hands touching Gerard’s face, his thumb running across his cheek. “You can do it, baby. I know you can. I have faith in you,”  
“C-can we p-play our g-games wh-when I f-find you?” Gerard asked, his face blushing as he felt Frank’s touch.  
“Of course we can, baby,” Frank whispered as he leaned in and kissed Gerard softly on the lips. Gerard closed his eyes and moaned, loving the taste of Frank’s soft and sweet lips on his. They soon separated, their faces close to each other’s, with Frank’s eyes looking at Gerard’s. He smiled again. “It’s time to wake up, Gee…,”  
At that moment, Gerard did, his mind snapping back into reality in his bedroom. He frowned when he saw no Frank there with him.  
“Can you hear me, Gee?” a voice suddenly called out, making Gerard jump a bit, then sighed with relief when he soon learned who was addressing him in that calm male voice.  
“Y-yeah, I c-can,” Gerard responded, smiling. He looked at the time on his Spongebob Squarepants alarm clock--it was almost nine. “C-can other people h-hear you?”  
“No. Only you can, Gee,”  
“Wh-why’s that?” Gerard asked as he crawled out of bed, putting on a pair of shorts with the Flash logo on it, as well as one of his favorite Batman t-shirts. “Wh-why can no o-one else h-hear you, F-frankie?”  
“That’s just how it is. Only you can hear my voice inside of your head,”  
“O-okay,” Gerard nodded as he walked out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen, looking at the chores schedule on the fridge. Today was his day to do the laundry. He pouted and cussed under his breath for a bit, then walked to the laundry room, starting his day. At least now he had a companion to keep him company while he did his dreaded chores. He couldn’t wait to tell Mikey about him having the ability to hear his special friend’s voice in his head. He also couldn’t wait to enjoy some ice cream with him.


	4. Chapter 4

“So...what did you wanna talk to me about?” Mikey asked as he took a bite of his orange sorbet, with Gerard across from him in the booth enjoying his rocky road ice cream. “You mentioned you wanted to tell me something, right?”  
“Y-yeah, I did,” Gerard nodded. He was eager to tell his brother about his friend’s voice he hears in his head. “I’ve been talking to a friend,”  
“Who? Is it someone at the group home?” Mikey asked, hoping that was the case, and not what he feared it would be.  
“It’s F-frank,” Gerard replied, smiling. Mikey, on the other hand, was not. If anything, he was the complete opposite. He nearly dropped his spoon hearing that certain person’s name. It just couldn’t be him. Maybe it was a different Frank, he thought. He hoped it was.  
“Gerard...Frank who?”  
“The F-frankie th-that would c-come over t-to p-play with m-me wh-when m-mommy w-was at w-work,”  
“Gerard…,” Mikey gasped, his entire body starting to shake. He could feel blood draining from his pale face, as well as his insides do a flip-flop in his tummy. “Gerard...you’re being serious about this?”  
“Y-yeah, I am!” Gerard nodded again. “I h-hear his v-voice in my h-head! I also s-saw him in a d-dream I h-had!”  
Mikey didn’t say anything. He just sighed and shook his head slowly. He cursed Frank’s name in his head for all the terrible things he did to his one and only brother. He hoped that after experiencing near-death and receiving therapy that Gerard would have forgotten all about Frank, but he was clearly mistaken.  
“Gerard,” Mikey finally said. “What kind of things does Frank tell you to do?”  
“H-he told m-me to c-come f-find him. I w-want to s-see him again s-so we c-can--”  
“No,” Mikey interrupted, his voice stern. “You are not gonna be doing that, Gee,”  
“Wh-why not?” Gerard whined loudly, making a couple heads at nearby tables turn to the Way brothers. “I-I wanna s-see F-frankie!”  
“That’s not gonna happen, Gerard. Don’t you remember the awful things he did to you?”  
“Th-they w-weren’t awful! W-we p-played games with each other! Th-they were f-fun!”  
“No they weren’t, Gee. Frank hurt you. He took advantage of you!”  
“He’s lying,” the voice inside Gerard’s head said suddenly. “He just doesn’t want you to see me, Gee,”  
“Y-you’re a liar!” Gerard yelled, agreeing with Frank’s voice. “Y-you just d-don’t want me t-to see F-frank!”  
“Of course I don’t want you to, Gerard. Why would I let you go see someone that’s a threat to you?” Mikey said defensively, feeling a pang in his chest. He knew what was happening. Gerard was becoming upset, which meant he could possibly have a meltdown right here in this ice cream shop, and he had to be prepared for it. “Just calm down, Ger--”  
“N-no! I want F-frankie!” Gerard hollered, slamming his hands down on the table repeatedly. All around him and Mikey, other patrons in the shop turned and stared at the two, some of them sympathizing and pitying them with their stares, and others even pointing and laughing at them.  
“Gerard, calm down!” Mikey said, raising his voice as he felt both panicked and embarrassed by his brother. He knew what he had to do when Gerard got like this, and he really didn’t wanna have to. “I don’t wanna have to call Janelle and tell her you’re being bad, do I?”  
“N-no!” Gerard spat, continuing to slam his hands on the table loudly. He then turned the hitting and slamming on himself, punching and slapping his head. “I w-want F-frankie!”  
“Gerard, cut it out!” Mikey yelled, leaping to his feet and trying to restrain his unstable brother, dodging his attacks. He soon got Gerard pinned to the ground, getting kicked and screamed at in the process as strangers watched it all unfold.  
“G-get off m-me, you asshole!” Gerard screamed, fighting and struggling under his brother’s hold. He broke out into tears as he failed to get out of Mikey’s firm grip.  
“Gerard, calm down. It’s okay,” Mikey said soothingly, ignoring Gerard’s vulgar insults towards him.  
“Don’t listen to him!” Frank said in Gerard’s head. “Keep fighting him. He’s the one that doesn’t want you to see me, right?”  
“G-get off m-me, you f-fucking s-stupid p-prick!” Gerard hissed, swinging his held down fists at Mikey as he cried and sniffled. He fought and struggled under Mikey’s hold until he grew fatigued and weak. Mikey sighed deeply, feeling both embarrassed and tired.  
“Come on, Gee. Let’s go home,” he said, helping Gerard up to his feet as he continued to cry. They both walked out after Mikey went around the store apologizing to the store’s workers and manager, explaining his situation. They then went out to the car, where Mikey buckled Gerard up in his seat. Mikey made a note to himself to talk to Janelle when they got back to the Rainbow House, and to also have her schedule an appointment with Dr. Martinez for Gerard.  
“I-I’m sorry, M-mikey,” Gerard sniffled, feeling genuine remorse for what he did, making a fool of himself in the ice cream shop.  
“Don’t’ be sorry, Gee. It’s Mikey that should be sorry. He’s the one that won’t let you see me,” Frank said, spite in his voice.  
“I think it’s about time we schedule you another appointment with Dr. Martinez,” Mikey said as he started up the car. “It’s not normal for you to be acting like the way you are. You also shouldn’t be hearing voices in your head. How long has this been going on?”  
“I h-heard it th-this m-morning. I d-don’t need t-to see D-Dr. Martinez!” Gerard whined.  
“Yeah you do, Gee. I think it’s about time we get your meds adjusted. What you did in the hospital the other day was uncalled for, despite what had taken place beforehand. You’re lucky they didn’t put you in the psych ward,” Mikey replied firmly as he pulled out onto the road, turning left.  
“You don’t need to see a doctor, Gee. You are just fine,” Frank said to Gerard, his voice echoing in his head. “Tell Mikey that there’s nothing wrong with you,”  
“Th-there’s nothing w-wrong with m-me!” Gerard pouted, slamming his fists on his lap. “I-I’m just f-fine!”  
“Gerard, stop it right now. You’re acting like a little kid,” Mikey replied sternly. “If you don’t stop, I will have to pull over and--”  
“N-no!” Gerard screamed, grabbing hold of the wheel and yanking on it, making the car swerve back and forth in between lanes, with other drivers honking at them and giving them the finger.  
“Gerard, let go right now!” Mikey yelled, fighting with Gerard over the wheel. He was soon able to regain control of the wheel before Gerard was able to get the both of them in an accident. Surrendered, Gerard curled up in the corner of his seat and sobbed loudly, covering his face with his hands. Mikey sighed deeply in frustration and pulled over to the side of the road, stopping the vehicle. He ran a fed-up hand through his hair, shaking his head as we waited for his agitated older brother to calm down. Gerard looked at him apologetically, knowing he did something terribly wrong when Mikey pulled over and stopped the car.  
“I-I’m sorry, M-mikey!” Gerard sniffled, wiping at his eyes.  
“I’m not gonna continue driving until you’re calm, Gee,” Mikey replied. “You’re clearly unstable. I’m not moving this car until you’re no longer agitated,”  
“B-but p-please, M-mikey!’ I’m s-sorry! I d-didn’t mean to d-do that!”  
“Uh huh,” Mikey nodded, sarcasm in his voice. He knew to make note of setting up an appointment with Dr. Martinez for Gerard. That was going to be the first thing he’s gonna do when he gets home after dropping off Gerard. Mikey waited about another ten minutes until he saw that Gerard had exhausted himself from all his crying and screaming. He started up the engine and looked back at his brother.  
“You all done, Gee? Have you calmed down?” he asked.  
“Y-yeah. I’m s-sorry, Mikey,” Gerard replied, still sniffling.  
“Good,” Mikey nodded. To brighten the mood, he put on one of Gerard’s favorite artists--The Smiths. “I recommend you take a little nap when you get home, Gee. It’ll help you unwind,”  
“O-okay,” Gerard nodded, lying. A nap was not gonna be what Gerard planned on doing when he got home. He wanted to socialize with the friend in his head. He also realized that tomorrow was gonna be special day for him--he was gonna return to work, and he was gonna do it with the friendly voice in his head. He could hardly wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Gerard nearly danced around the room as he put on his uniform for work--a white button-up shirt with black slacks and a red vest, all complete with his nametag and black converse shoes. He went downstairs, packed his lunch, and made his way to the van, where one of the attendees of the group home named Adam drove him to work. Gerard was jumping for joy in his seat as Adam parked the van in front of the local theater where Gerard worked for nearly two years. He thanked Adam, got out of the van, and headed right inside to the break room, where he clocked in and put his lunch in the employee fridge. After he clocked in, Gerard went straight to the janitor’s closet and got his supply cart and wheeled it to one of the theater rooms where a movie just ended. A few coworkers greeted Gerard, welcoming him back to his job and sharing their condolences for the recent passing of his mother. When Gerard got to the showing room with a big set of credits rolling on the screen, he pulled out his mp3 player and put on his headphones as he began to sweeping the seating aisles of popcorn on the floor. “The Last of the Famous International Playboys” by Morrissey boomed from his headphones as he worked, dancing as he swept the dirty floors with grace.  
“Good pick,” said Frank, his voice returning to Gerard after a long period of silence in the van.  
“Y-yeah, F-frank. M-morrissey is m-my f-favorite!” Gerard smiled as he talked to the voice in his head while sweeping.  
“I know. I can tell he is, Gee. The Smiths are really good too,”  
“Y-yeah. Th-this Ch-charming M-man is my favorite song from them!”  
“Cool. I like How Soon Is Now. What about your favorite Morrissey song?”  
“I’d h-have to s-say S-suedehead,”  
“That’s a good one. My favorite for me would have to be...hmm, I’d have to say Everyday is Like Sunday,”  
“Th-that’s a good one, F-frankie!” Gerard said as he walked over to the next aisle to pick up discarded popcorn buckets and soda cups. As he did, a set of footsteps walked up behind Gerard, sneaking up on him.  
“Boo!” the boy shouted, making Gerard yell and jump up, then turn around to find two coworkers in front of them, the both of them ones that Gerard hasn’t had a good record with. Their names were Hayley and Ryan, and they both laughed at Gerard as he nearly tripped over his shoelaces after being spooked. Gerard sighed out of embarassment, but quickly brushed it off.  
“H-hey guys,” he said, trying to be friendly despite the way they treat him, constantly bullying him and making him the butt of bad jokes. “Sh-shouldn’t y-you guys b-be outta here? L-like selling s-snacks and p-printing t-tickets?”  
“Oh, I dunno, Gee,” Ryan sneered sarcastically. “Who were you talking to earlier?”  
“Don’t tell them, Gerard,” Frank said in a warning tone. “It’s none of their business. Tell them that,”  
“It’s n-none of y-your b-business, g-guys,” Gerard repeated shakily, backing up from the bullying duo.  
“Awww, really? Damn, that hurts my little feelings,” Ryan cooed mockingly. “No, really. Who were you talking to?”  
“Yeah, why don’t you tell us?” Hayley asked in a condescending tone, smirking.  
“It’s probably because he was talking to one of the voices he hears in his head, Hayley. Isn’t that right, Gerard?” Ryan asked, closing in on Gerard and inching closer to him, that same shit-eating smirk still on his face. Gerard backed away, tripping over one of the seats in the aisles and landing straight on his can. Both Ryan and Hayley laughed at him in unison, making Gerard lower than a dog. He looked around, unsure what to do as he began to feel helpless. He couldn’t just run away from them. He knew he would follow him no matter where he went, even in the break room. Besides, Gerard still had to clean up this showing room, or else his boss Patrick would give him an earful, and it scared Gerard just thinking about it.  
“Awww, is Gerard gonna cry like he always does? Does the cry baby need his diaper changed?” Ryan cooed mockingly, with Hayley behind him laughing at his cruel teasing towards Gerard. Gerard couldn’t help but feel warm tears leak through his eyes. He didn’t know why Ryan and Hayley always picked on him. What was so different about him that warranted himself to be bullied by his co workers? Whatever the reason may be, he just wished that they left him alone.  
“Gerard, listen to me,” Frank said suddenly, his voice firm. “You don’t deserve to stand for this bullshit. Stand up for yourself!”  
“I c-can’t, F-frankie! I’m t-too w-weak!” Gerard cried, ignoring the fact that Ryan and Hayley were standing right in front of him. “I’m a b-big b-baby!”  
“What was that, Gee? Who are you talking to?” Ryan asked.  
“It’s probably one of those voices he hears in his head,” Hayley suggested.  
“Who are you talking to, Gerard?” Ryan asked again, still in a belittling tone. “Come on, who’s voice are you hearing in your head this time?”  
“Gerard, listen to me!” Frank demanded. “Show them you’re not their little bitch! Punch them right in the fucking faces!”  
“I c-can’t d-do that! I’ll g-get in t-trouble!” Gerard exclaimed, clearly in earshot of Ryan and Hayley. “I’m n-not g-gonna h-hurt anyone!”  
“What was that, Gerard? I can’t hear you! Your mouth always sounds like it’s filled with shit!” Ryan sneered, to which he and Hayley both cackled. Gerard, meanwhile, was already starting to tremble with rage. He was sick of this always happening to him. Everyday it was like this for him, being tormented by others that he knew were different than him. His rage deep down was bottled up, ready to erupt. He’s just about had it with Ryan and Hayley.  
“I’m telling you, Gerard. If you let it all out, you’ll feel so much better. Stand your ground, Gee. Let them know that you’ve had enough!” Frank exclaimed, making Gerard tremble even more. Maybe what Frank is suggesting doesn’t sound so bad after all…  
“Hey Gerard, I heard about what happened to your mom,” Ryan said, lowering his tone as he continued to glare at Gerard mockingly. “It’s a blessing for her that she’s dead, because that means she doesn’t have to deal with your retarded ass!”  
That’s it, Gerard thought. Ryan crossed the line. Him mentioning his deceased mother in such an ill manner really brought his blood to a boil. Gerard clenched his teeth and balled his fists, standing straight up on his feet and breathing heavily. Ryan knew by this that he was really fucked now. Gerard took one of his balled up fists and pummeled Ryan’s face, sending him to the floor, his face throbbing and full of a mixture of dismay, shock, and humiliation. Hayley nearly screamed, running away from Gerard and up the aisles of the theater. Still red with anger, Gerard went charging after her, chasing her up and down the rows of seats.  
“Get her, Gerard! Show that bitch that you’re not fucking around!” Frank yelled in Gerard’s head as he ran like hell, chasing Hayley in circles. Gerard, who was just about in full rage mode, screamed and cussed at Hayley, calling her every name in the book as he chased her. Just at that moment, a slightly overweight young man with glasses came into the room, appalled by what he’s been presented with. It was Patrick, Gerard’s boss. At the sight of him, Gerard stopped dead in his tracks, letting Hayley run to Patrick like the coward she is. Ryan stood up, holding down his throbbing cheek as he winced in pain. Gerard felt a pang in his chest, radiating throughout his body. He knew he was in deep trouble.  
“What in God’s name is going on here?” Patrick asked in a demanding and dismayed manner. He didn’t feel the need to ask in the first place. He saw everything. He knew Gerard fucked up...big time.  
“I-I...I…,” Gerard stuttered, unable to explain the situation at hand. All the blood had drained from his face, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. There was just no way he could justify what he done.  
“Gerard, come see me in my office...now,” Patrick demanded before walking out of the room, leaving Gerard alone with a sense of dread and guilt. He briefly looked over at Ryan and Hayley, who returned his stare with wicked smirks, knowing what’s yet to come for the poor young man. Gerard stormed out of the theater room, unable to hold back the tears that soaked up his eyes as he walked to Patrick’s office. He knew that what he did could very well cost him his job.


	6. Chapter 6

“Sit down, Gerard,” were the first words Patrick said to Gerard when he stepped into his office, still visibly shaking and sweating with fear. A trip to Patrick’s office obviously meant nothing good for Gerard. The last time he was sent here was when he had a altercation with a rude customer after he called Gerard retarded over not knowing where the screening room for his movie was at, even though the man could have simply looked on his ticket stub. Gerard thankfully got nothing more than a slap on the wrist from Patrick, but a very firm and warning one. Gerard knew that after what he did to Ryan and Hayley that he would get far more than another slap on the wrist. The dissatisfied look on Patrick’s face told him so.  
“Gerard, what the hell were you thinking?” he asked him as Gerard sat down in the single chair in front of Patrick’s desk. The sharpness in Patrick’s tone of voice sent chills down Gerard’s spine. “You know better than to...well, do what you just did back there!”  
“B-but they were b-being mean t-to me!” Gerard said defensively. “Th-they were s-saying bad s-stuff about m-my m-mommy!”  
“I understand that, but that’s still no excuse for what you did. You could have simply come to me about it,”  
“B-but--”  
“What you did was inexcusable, Gerard,” Patrick interrupted Gerard, his voice still full of venomous, but also full of regret and somberness. “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to let you go,”  
“L-let me g-go? Wh-what do you m-mean?” Gerard asked, his mind in denial of what he’s just been told.  
“It’s...it’s plain and simple. You stop working here,” Patrick sighed.  
“B-but...but…th-that’s not f-fair!” Gerard pouted. “I’m s-supposed to b-be p-promoted soon!”  
“That’s not gonna be happening now, Gerard,” Patrick shook his head, eyes full of a hidden sorrow for his now terminated worker.  
“Oh no...wh-what am I g-gonna do?” Gerard sniffled as tears ran from his devastated eyes. He knew Mikey wasn’t gonna be happy when he is soon to get a call from him, announcing the loss of his precious job.  
“Before looking for another job...I suggest you get help,” Patrick advised. “Now, hand in your nametag and vest, and you will be walked out,”  
Hanging his head in shame, Gerard reluctantly took his nametag off his red vest and handed it over to Patrick, leaving it on the desk. He then got up and took off the vest, handing that over to his now former boss as well. After that, Patrick stood up and walked Gerard out the front doors of the theater, where he waved goodbye to him before retreating inside, not uttering one final word to him. That was when Gerard broke down, weeping on the cold and hard pavement as he got down on his knees, his hands covering his face.

_ _ _  
It’s been almost a week since Gerard has been without a job, and it was taking a toll on him in several ways. First off, he made no money, so that meant he couldn’t buy anything for himself, like a cup of coffee from Starbuck’s or a comic book from the local comics and card game store. Second, he had no way of keeping himself busy. He liked how working his job made the day go by faster, and now that he’s unemployed, he was stuck being bored most of the time at the group home, doing more chores to kill time...and he hated it. He hated how tedious it felt to do the laundry and dishes. For some reason he couldn’t point out, none of it was as fun in a way as cleaning at the movie theater. Maybe it’s because rather than doing the same two or three things over and over again, he had a variety of things to do at his former job, such as sweeping the aisles and floors, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, and a lot more. What hurt Gerard the most was Mikey’s reaction to him learning that his brother lost his job, and the reason behind it all. He was furious with Gerard, to say the least. He was so furious that it nearly left Gerard in tears. After getting an earful from Mikey, he booked an appointment with Gerard’s psychiatrist, Dr. Martinez. He knew something inside Gerard wasn’t right. It’s like ever since their mother died, Gerard’s behavior changed dramatically, and Mikey wanted some answers.  
Mikey pulled into the parking lot of the Dr. Martinez’s, putting the car into park and turning off the engine. He looked over to his brother, who was passed out from a small nap he took along the way. Mikey sighed deeply as he looked at him, hoping that things don’t go awry with him at his appointment and that he gets some answers about Gerard’s sudden change in behavior. He figured maybe was a good time to change his medication, but he knew all that was up to Dr. Martinez.  
“Gee, wake up,” Mikey said, lightly shaking Gerard’s shoulder. Gerard groaned, slowly opening up his eyes and rubbing them.  
“Are we here?” he asked.  
“Yeah, we are. Come on, let’s get you checked in,” Mikey replied, stepping out of the car and waiting for him brother to follow along. Gerard did so, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the car before Mikey locked it. They together walked into the small building that is Dr. Martinez’s office and got Gerard checked in. They both sat in the waiting room, with Gerard watching some cartoon that was playing on the small flatscreen on across from the chairs they sat at. Frank had been awfully quiet the whole day, and Gerard didn’t know why. Maybe he can talk to him while he waited to be called inside.  
“F-frankie, you th-there?” Gerard called out, hoping to hear a response. Next to him, Mikey turned to him, his eyebrow raised in concern.  
“Yeah, I’m here,” Frank responded, his voice echoing in Gerard’s head. “What do you want?”  
“N-nothing, just w-wanted to m-make sure y-you’re still th-there,”  
“I am, Gee. I would never leave you,” Frank responded, to which Gerard smiled.  
“Gerard, who are you talking to?” Mikey asked, interrupting Gerard’s conversation with the voice in his head.  
“I’m t-talking to F-frankie,” Gerard said. Mikey sighed, shaking his head a little in mild disapproval.  
“You make sure you mention hearing Frank’s voice in your head to Dr. Martinez, okay?” Mikey said. Gerard just nodded, wondering why it was necessary to bring up hearing Frank’s voice to Dr. Martinez. He knew it was real, after all. He could hear him clearly, and it sounded just like Frank. He knew nothing was wrong with him, making this appointment completely pointless in his eyes. He never even knew why he had to take the pills he was prescribed. Besides, they tasted nasty.  
“Gerard?” a female voice called out from the door in the corner of the room. Gerard looked over to see it was one of the medical assistants that are ready to check him in. Gerard stood up and followed her to the back of the office to a room with a weight scale. After getting Gerard’s weight and vitals, he was redirected down the hall to Dr. Martinez’s office, her name on the door. He stepped inside and sat at the chair in front of her desk, where she sat as she typed on the computer in front of her. She looked over at Gerard and smiled at him.  
“Hey, Gerard. How are you today?” she asked innocently.  
“I’m o-okay,” Gerard said simply.  
“What’s been going on? Mikey told me that quite a lot has happened with you. You wanna share with me about those things?”  
“I-I...uh…,” Gerard stuttered, unsure where to begin. He wondered what exactly Mikey was saying to Dr. Martinez about him. He suddenly remembered how much it hurt him to look back at what’s actually happened to him. Hiss mom’s death and the loss of his job have both taken quite a toll on him, and he still didn’t know how to cope with both of those things. Gerard looked away, his face contorting from the tears that stung his eyes.  
“Are you okay? You wanna talk about what’s bugging you?” Dr. Martinez asked.  
“M-my mommy d-died not t-too long ago. Sh-she had c-cancer and th-the d-doctors c-couldn’t s-save her. I also l-lost m-my j-job!”  
“I heard about all that. Mikey told me about it. I’m so sorry. How have you been coping with these things?”  
Gerard looked down as he sniffled, wiping at his face. How was he actually dealing with what has been going on with him? The one and only thing that came to mind was Frank. After Donna died, Frank was there for him, and he was also there when Gerard lost his job at the movie theater. He has commiserated with him, and was the only person to besides Mikey. He’s his friend, after all.  
“I’ve b-been talking t-to F-frankie,” Gerard finally said, looking up at his psychiatrist. “H-he’s my f-friend, and I-I would t-talk to h-him. H-he’s been th-there for m-me,”  
Dr. Martinez’s eyes widened. She knew that the mention of Frank’s name meant no good. She knew all about Gerard’s history with this Frank guy, and all that he’s done to Gerard. She quickly grabbed a pen and paper, jotting down some notes about Gerard’s friend.  
“How have you been talking to him?” she asked.  
“I h-hear his v-voice in m-my head,” Gerard replied. “I one t-time s-saw him in a d-dream I h-had and I t-talked to him, and n-now I h-hear his v-voice,”  
“Have you had any physical contact with Frank as of lately?” Dr. Martinez asked as she jotted down more notes.  
“N-no, j-just in my h-head. I w-want to s-see him. F-frank t-told me I h-have to c-come find h-him,”  
“How so?”  
“I-I d-dunno. I w-wanna travel s-so I can s-see him, even th-though I d-don’t know wh-where he is,”  
“Hmm...I see…,” Dr. Martinez nodded, looking down at the notes she just took of her patient, and thinking of where to go from there. “Gerard...are you aware of the things Frank has done to you in the past?”  
“Uh...l-like wh-what?” Gerard asked.  
“Like...the times he’s forced sexual acts on you?” Dr. Martinez replied.  
“Uh...I d-don’t know wh-what you’re t-talking about,” Gerard said, furrowing his brow a bit.  
“Gerard, I’m just gonna be straightforward with you about all this,” his psychiatrist sighed. “Some years ago, Frank started to watch after you while your mom was away at work. Frank took advantage of you in several different ways, all of them sexually. He abused you, Gerard. He kidnapped you and continued to do these acts to you until he tried to kill you, before he tried to do the same to himself. He is not your friend, Gerard. What you’re experiencing is all a hallucination. Frank is really not talking to you,”  
“She’s lying, Gerard. Don’t listen to her,” Frank said, his voice full of fear and anger. “I would never do that to you, and you know it,”  
“F-frank says y-you’re a liar. You are a l-liar!” Gerard retaliated, venom in his voice. “F-frankie is m-my friend! You d-don’t know anything!”  
“Gerard, you don’t remember anything. After a traumatic incident involving you and Frank, you were left with no memory of all Frank has done to you. You don’t understand that what he did to you was wrong. Listen, I don’t wanna argue with you about this, but what I’m gonna do is up the dose of your medication. I want you to think about what you do remember about Frank, okay? And if you hear his voice in his head...ignore it, okay? It think what’s happening to you is that you’re getting very stressed out from all that’s happened to you, and you need to just lay low and take it easy for now, okay?” Dr. Martinez said as she typed into her computer. “Oh, and take your medication, of course. Have a good day”  
“Don’t listen to her, Gerard. We should leave this place,” Frank said as Gerard got up and walked out of the office.  
“I w-won’t, F-frankie. Sh-she’s a meanie!” Gerard nearly yelled as he walked down the hall.  
“You know I wouldn’t hurt you, Gee,” Frank said as Gerard walked back out the the lobby to Mikey, who was expecting a phone call from Dr. Martinez at any minute now. They together walked back to the car, where Mikey started up the engine and drove away from the doctor’s office.  
“I know, F-frankie. Th-they d-don’t know anything,” Gerard said, with Mikey beside him looking at him in a concerned manner. It confused him why this appointment was so abnormally short. He hoped to get some answers from Dr. Martinez though.


	7. Chapter 7

“Yes, I will. Thank you, goodbye,” Mikey said as he hung up the phone after talking to Dr. Martinez. He sat at his desk at home, sighing and running a hand through his hair. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. He could barely handle the outcome of Gerard’s appointment with his psychiatrist, even though he found it necessary to up the dose of his anti-psychotics. He hoped that this will help combat the voices Gerard has been hearing in his head as of lately. He looked at the digital alarm clock behind him on his nightstand--it’s almost two. He was off work today, so he figured maybe he should drop by the Rainbow House to visit Gerard. He hadn’t heard from him, and didn’t know how he was adapting to the new medication. He just hoped he was doing better with it a little bit, even though it takes time for Gerard to get in the hang of whatever new medication he’s prescribed. Mikey got up and grabbed his coat and keys, then walked outside to his car.

_ _ _   
“Gee, it’s time to take your medication,” said Shannon, one of the attendees at the Rainbow House. She held a cup of water and a dose of Gerard’s new medication in her hand as she walked upstairs to Gerard’s room. She tapped on the door, then walked inside, finding Gerard sitting on his bed as he watched Finding Nemo on his television.  
“Gee, it’s time for your medicine,” Shannon said again, smiling. Gerard just looked at her blankly, clearly annoyed that someone just interrupted his movie. He paused it, then walked to Shannon where she stood. In her hand were two small white pills that he was familiar with taking, as well as a bigger blue pill. There was something new though--a big pink pill. Gerard furrowed his brow, looking at Shannon, then back at the pill.  
“Wh-what’s that p-pink pill f-for?” Gerard asked.  
“It’s your new medication. You gotta take it,” Shannon replied.  
“Don’t take it, Gee,” Frank said suddenly, his voice stern and on edge. “That’ll make me go away if you take it!”  
“Wh-what? I d-don’t want y-you to g-go away!” Gerard whined, stepping away from Shannon. She looked at Gerard, giving him a concerned look after he just heard him talk to the thin air.  
“Gerard, who are you talking to?” she asked.  
“I-I am n-not t-taking th-those pills!” Gerard argued, pushing away the pills in Shannon’s hand. “I d-don’t want F-frankie to g-go away!”  
Shannon sighed. She knew what all of this was a sign of. Gerard was hearing voices in his head again, and she’s no stranger to seeing it, unfortunately. She has to try to convince him to take his pills before she makes a report that he refused to take them.  
“Gerard, are you hearing voices in your head again?” she asked gently.  
“Y-yeah! I h-hear F-frankie’s voice in m-my head, and he s-says that I sh-should not t-take the p-pills!” Gerard answered.  
“Why is he telling you to not take the pills?” Shannon asked patiently.  
“B-because th-they will m-make F-frank g-go away! I d-don’t want to t-take th-them!”  
“But you have to take them, Gee. That’s what your doctor ordered,” Shannon replied.  
“N-no! Dr. M-martinez is a b-big fat l-liar! Sh-she wants F-frank to g-go away! I’m n-not taking th-those p-pills!” Gerard argued, walking away from Shannon and sitting back on his bed. Shannon sighed, knowing that none of this was getting anywhere. She has no choice but to document Gerard’s refusal of his pills. It’s not like she can force him to take them. She just hoped that him not taking his pills would come back to bite him in the ass. She unfortunately had a feeling it would though.  
“Okay, fine,” she said, walking away from Gerard, the pills still in her hand. Paying no mind to her, Gerard continued to sit and watch his movie.  
“That was a close one,” Frank said once Shannon left the room. “You know I can’t live without you, Gee,”  
“Y-yeah, just l-like I c-can’t live w-without you, F-frankie,” Gerard said, his eyes fixed on the t.v screen.  
“Of course you can’t, Gee. There’s something important I need to tell you,” Frank said suddenly.  
“Wh-what is it?” Gerard asked before he heard a set of footsteps come up the stairs. They were loud and nearly booming throughout the house, and he knew what this meant. It was Mikey, and he was clearly not happy. Gerard paused his movie again, preparing for what’s yet to come. Mikey came into the room, looking nothing short of annoyed.  
“Gerard, what the hell?” he asked. “You refused to take your medication?”  
“I d-don’t wanna t-take my m-medication! It m-makes F-frankie go away!” Gerard whined.  
“Jesus H. Christ, Gerard…,” Mikey sighed, shaking his head. “That voice you’re not hearing is not really Frank!”  
“Y-yeah it is!” Gerard argued, raising his voice. “I know it’s h-him! I c-can see and h-hear him!”  
“No, you can’t. You’re hallucinating, Gerard. That’s why Dr. Martinez upped your medication. Don’t you understand?” Mikey asked, his voice now calmer as he tried to talk to his brother. “I think you’re having this mental crisis because you’re under a lot of stress. Mom’s gone now, and you lost your job. I totally understand. Because of all this, you’re experiencing these hallucinations,”  
“He’s lying, Gerard,” Frank said. “He doesn’t want you to believe I’m here. Don’t listen to him,”  
“N-no, M-mikey,” Gerard shook his head. “Y-you’re a l-liar. I c-can s-see and h-hear F-frankie. H-he’s r-real,”  
“Gerard, I know Frank is real. He’s just not in your head. Aren’t you even aware of the things he’s done to you? He hurt you. He abused you. Frank wasn’t some teddy bear you could hug. He was a monster to you,”  
“Don’t listen to him, Gee!” Frank said again, louder this time. “He just doesn’t want you to see me! Don’t let him deceive you!”  
“N-no, M-mikey! Y-you’re a b-big fat l-liar! I l-love F-frankie, and I w-wanna s-see him!” Gerard yelled, a string of spittle flying from his lips and landing right on Mikey’s cheek. Mikey was floored. He couldn’t believe his own older brother wouldn’t believe him. He knew he was sick, but he never thought it would get this bad. He knew he needed help...badly. It was no use fighting with Gerard over something that didn’t really exist. Mikey made note to set up an appointment with not only Gerard’s psychiatrist, but his therapist as well. It was all Mikey could do now to help combat the hallucinations and delusions in Gerard’s head.  
“Alright, fine,” Mikey sighed, turning away to leave. “You win. But I’m gonna make some appointments for you. You need to get help, Gee,”  
“N-no, I’m f-fine!” Gerard pouted, to which Mikey just shook his head. He pulled his brother in for a hug, wrapping his arms around him and holding him for a while. Gerard just stood there, accepting his brother’s embrace. They soon departed, and Gerard left a wet and slobbery kiss on Mikey’s cheek.  
“I l-love you!” Gerard smiled. Mikey smiled back and laughed a bit, forgetting about all that ensued beforehand.  
“I love you too, Gee,” Mikey said as he got up and walked out of Gerard’s room. “See you later,”  
After Mikey left, Gerard got up and went back to watching the remainder of his movie. He got under the covers of his bed as he shivered in the slight cold within the room. It wasn’t long before he felt his eyelids weigh down on him. He yawned, feeling fatigued and sleepy. He shut his eyes, the last thing he saw not being the cartoon fish on the t.v screen, but Frank’s face instead.


	8. Chapter 8

Gerard sleepily opened up his eyes and soon realized that he was no longer in his room. He was somewhere familiar. It was nothing but a pure white limbo. He stood up from the ground and looked all around him. He was alone.  
“F-frank?” he called out, his voice echoing off into the distance. “F-frankie, wh-where are y-you?”  
“Over here, Gee,” Frank said, his voice emerging from behind Gerard. He jumped and turned around, stunned by the sudden voice. Frank was standing there, smiling at him, his hands in his pockets. He looked so charming with his styled black hair, lip ring piercing, and dark clothes. Gerard couldn’t ask for anyone better than him.  
“H-hi, F-frankie!” Gerard smiled, walking up to Frank and wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tight like a teddy bear.  
“Gee, there’s something we need to talk about,” Frank replied simply, accepting Gerard’s embrace. “It’s very important,”  
“Wh-what is it?” Gerard asked, cocking his head to the side.  
“You need to leave soon. You need to come and find me,”  
“R-really? Wh-why now?”  
“Because, I miss you Gee. I miss playing my games with you. I miss kissing you. I miss everything about you,” Frank said as they separated.  
“I m-miss you t-too, F-frankie….B-but I d-don’t have a lot of m-money to t-travel,”  
“You have enough, Gee. You have the money in your piggy bank, remember?”  
“Oh y-yeah, y-you’re r-right,” Gerard replied, just realizing that he has some money saved up in his Green Lantern piggy bank. “Th-that’s the m-money th-that I s-saved up f-from work!”  
“Exactly. You can use that money for bus fare and so on,”  
“I g-gotta ask M-mikey if I c-can go,” Gerard said, to which Frank nodded his head in disapproval.  
“That’s not gonna work, Gerard. He isn’t going to let you go. You know how he is when you mention my name. You can’t let anyone know about this,”  
“B-but I c-could g-get in t-trouble if I g-go without t-telling anyone!” Gerard whined. “I w-wanna be g-good!”  
“Gerard, don’t you want to see me?” Frank asked sternly.  
“Y-yeah, I d-do!”  
“Well then, you gotta break the rules a little bit. You can pack a bag tomorrow and take off when nobody’s around. Got it?”  
“O-okay, F-frankie,” Gerard sulked. “I really, r-really wanna s-see you, F-frankie. I r-really do!”  
“I know, I wanna see you too, Gee. Like I said before, I miss you. You miss me, right?”  
“Y-yeah, I do. I r-really miss y-you,”  
“Then you wouldn’t be worrying about getting caught, would you?”  
“N-no,” Gerard said reluctantly.  
“Then you get to packing your bags when you wake up and make an escape plan. Got it?”  
“G-got it,”  
“Good, Gee,” Frank smiled, leaving a kiss on Gerard’s cheek. “It’s time to wake up,”  
“It is?” Gerard asked.  
“Yeah, Gee. Remember what I told you, okay?” Frank said as Gerard began to slip into his own consciousness. When he opened up his eyes, Frank was no longer there. He looked around and frowned, wishing that his best friend was right here with him, and can’t just hear his voice in his head. It wasn’t gonna last forever, though. Gerard was soon to be reunited with Frank. All he has to do is pack a bag and sneak out of the house when none of the attendees are looking. It looked easy on paper, but Gerard knew deep down that this truly wasn’t the case. After Gerard got dressed, he pulled out his suitcase from his closet and began to pack the bare essentials--a change of clothes, his toothpaste and toothbrush, his favorite stuffed bear that Frank gave to him when he was in the hospital, amongst other things. After he packed his bag and made doubly sure he had everything, he crept out of his room and checked the hallways of any attendees, or other people that live in the Rainbow House that might snitch him. The halls were thankfully empty, since it was still relatively early. After Gerard rushed to get his shoes on, he took his bag and jolted down the hall and down the stairs. It was all so easy for Gerard; he was already at the front door. Something wasn’t right, he thought to himself. Someone has got to be watching him. No one here would just let him waltz right out the door with no problem. Before he could think about it any further, it happened--one of the attendees, a girl named Jenny, stopped by Gerard when she got a good look at him. Her body was blocking the front door, much to Gerard’s worry.  
“Where are you going?” she asked, her hands on her hips.  
“N-nowhere,” Gerard lied, his body shaking from what was taking place. He was pushing the limits, and now there was no turning back. He had to get out of here and never come back, or else he had a feeling he’d be facing some pretty dire consequences.  
“I don’t believe it, Gerard. What’s with that bag in your hands?” Jenny asked, nudging her head towards Gerard’s suitcase. “You know you’re not allowed to leave,”  
“She’s right, you know,” said another attendee who walked towards Jenny, a tall guy named Chris. “Gerard, why don’t you set that bag down and head back upstairs?”  
“N-no,” Gerard said, shaking his head. “I h-have to b-be somewhere. I-I need t-to be w-with F-frankie. L-let me g-go--”  
“No, Gerard. You’re not leaving,” Chris said, blocking the front door and crossing his arms. “Head back upstairs right now--”  
“N-no!” Gerard yelled, raising his voice and losing his patience. He knew he had to make a move in order to get past Chris. He soon thought of an idea as soon as he scanned Chris for a vulnerable spot. “L-let me g-go!”  
“Owww!” Chris yelped, falling to his knees after Gerard kicked him in the jewels, running past him and Jenny. He dashed out the door with his bag and ran like hell, never looking back. Before he knew it, he was already out on the main street away from the group home. Gerard already began to feel his sides burn from all the running he’s done, but he knew he couldn’t stop. He had to keep going.  
“Keep going, Gee. You can’t stop! They’re looking for you!” Frank demanded, making Gerard run faster. He ran and ran further away from the group home until it wasn’t even a visible dot in his view when he looked back. He knew that even though that was so, he had to keep walking. He had to walk into the city to catch the bus. He didn’t know where exactly it was gonna take him, but he had to look for Frank no matter what, even if it meant wandering around aimlessly. He’s never been away from here on his own, and it already felt so different to him. Gerard running away from home meant no more attendees to watch after him. It also meant nobody was gonna hold his hand anymore. He was on his own with only Frank’s voice to guide him.


	9. Chapter 9

Gerard has been walking for the longest time he’s ever remembered. After escaping from the Rainbow House, that was all he did. It was taking a toll on him physically, leaving him sweaty and dehydrated. All he had were the clothes on his back, and the contents in his suitcase that was becoming a burden to carry, as well as his savings he’s racked up from his former job. Stuck in the middle of downtown Newark, he didn’t know where to go; he had no map of any kind to guide him, nor did he have a set destination. All he knew was that the was out to search for one person, and right now he was talking to him in his mind.  
“Gerard, you should rest,” Frank said to Gerard. “You look tired,”  
“N-no, I’m n-not r-resting,” Gerard panted, sweat running from his forehead as he pushed himself to walk further and further. “I n-need to f-find you,”  
“Yeah, but you’re not gonna do it in one go. Come on, Gee. Please. Rest for me,”  
“B-but I wanna f-find you n-now!” Gerard whined, his throat huffing and puffing from exhaustion. His legs felt like they were in cement at this point. He was really tired, but refused to give in.  
“Well you’re not gonna find me today. Come on, Gee. Please rest for me. It’s for the best. You’ll be energized by the time you get some food and rest,” Frank said. Gerard stopped dead in his tracks, his legs wobbly and aching. Giving in, he nearly collapsed to the floor, setting himself up against a building with his legs crossed and his bag by his side.  
“F-fine!” Gerard replied, still trying to catch his breath. His stomach growled as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He knew he had to get something to eat soon, and he thankfully had to the funds for it, but was reluctant to do so. He’s never ordered himself food before; he’s always had someone do it for him. That was one thing Gerard never thought through when he decided to run away; he’s never been on his own. Somebody else has always taken care of him. Now that he’s on his own, he has to vouch for himself. This definitely wasn’t like living with mom or in a group home anymore, and just thinking about it almost frightened him, making his stomach churn and the hairs on his neck rise. He began to think if maybe running away was worth it…  
As Gerard sat down, he noticed someone in front of him near a trash can...no, rather, inside the trash can. He was bent over with his upper half in the garbage can right in front of Gerard, as if he were digging for something inside of the discarded waste. Gerard couldn’t help but frown, seeing the poor man trying to find his next meal in the trash. When he pulled himself out of it, Gerard was able to get a better look at the man, and based on how he looked, he’s no stranger to living out on the streets. However, something didn’t feel quite right when he looked at him. He had a gut feeling in his stomach that he’s seen this man before. It was like a giant rush of nostalgia came over him, and he couldn’t figure out why that was so. He just stared at the bum, trying to figure out why in the hell this man seemed so familiar to him. Right across from him, the bum looked at Gerard as he held his meal he got from the trash. He furrowed his brow as he stared at Gerard, feeling something odd inside of him. This boy looked familiar, he thought to himself. With the both of them staring at each other, neither one of them knew what to say, or if they even wanted to say anything at all.  
“Gerard?” the man suddenly spoke, his voice echoing through the empty air of the congested town. This man suddenly realized who the boy in front of him is, and he hasn’t seen him in years due to his ignorance of what had happened to him. He turned his back on his eldest son after he was hit by a car and forever changed. Now he’s looking at him dead in the eye, the haunting memories coming back to haunt him.  
“D-daddy?” Gerard replied, the man now looking more familiar to him. He’s definitely changed, but he still knew who he was. He knew right off the bat that something was wrong with him. He remembered his dad as someone that dressed nice. Seeing him in rags, he couldn’t help but wonder what happened to him. “Wh-what are y-you doing h-here? It’s b-been f-forever!”  
“Maybe I should be asking you that, Gerard,” Gerard’s father replied flatly. “What are you doing in a place like this? What’s with the bags?”  
“Oh, it’s f-funny y-you asked,” Gerard laughed. “I’m t-traveling to s-see a f-friend,”  
“Oh...are you now?” replied the father, an eyebrow raised. “Who is he?”  
“H-his n-name is F-frank. He used t-to c-come see m-me wh-while mommy was at w-work,”  
“Oh...well, that’s nice. How’s your mother?”  
“Oh...uh, sh-she…,” Gerard stuttered, feeling his heart sink in his chest. “Sh-she’s up th-there, w-with the angels,” he said, pointing a finger up to the sky.  
“Oh…,” Donald replied briefly, looking somber. He didn’t expect his ex wife to be dead. The tragic news hit him hard without warning. He sighed deeply and shut his eyes for a bit, then he opened them back up. “I’m...I’m very sorry, I didn’t know. What happened to her?”  
“Sh-she died of l-lung cancer,” Gerard replied, his words laced with a sad tone of his voice. The father and son stayed quiet for what seemed like hours rather than just minutes as they awkwardly looked down at their feet.  
“I wish I had the chance to say goodbye,” Donald said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I also woulda told her that...I’m sorry,”  
“Wh-what for?” Gerard asked. Donald just sat there, still gazing down at the floor, his face sullen. It’s like he was trying to piece together what to say to his eldest son that he abandoned so long ago.  
“Gerard...I fucked up when I left your mother,” he finally said. “I’m sorry about the language, but it’s true. I really screwed up and I hurt all of you, especially your mother. If I could take her back, I would...but I don’t know if she’d want a scumbag like me. I don’t even know how you and your brother could forgive me, Gerard. I took it upon myself to divorce your mother, take Mikey with me and marry someone I thought that loved me for who I was. Oh, how wrong I was. She took everything from me; just chewed me up and spat me out like I was nothing. Now that she’s gone, I’m left with nothing. I’ve lost every dime I’ve had thanks to her. Now here I am, living in the slums. I’m pathetic. I never had the chance to say sorry to your mother…,”  
Gerard watched in sadness, seeing what his father had been reduced to. He knew he was hurting when he first saw him. He barely knew how to take in Donald’s words. Gerard knew that Donald has hurt him and the rest of his family so much by leaving Donna when her and her kids were vulnerable and in need of help. Gerard couldn’t hold a grudge though. He knew he loved him despite all he’s done. Gerard scooched closer to his father and took him into a hug, holding him tight. Donald reluctantly returned the favor, wrapping his arms around his son. They stood there for a while, holding each other.  
“I f-forgive y-you, d-daddy. I kn-know F-frankie would want m-me to do th-that, as well as m-mommy,”  
“Thank you, Gerard,” Donald whispered, feeling the sting of tears come to his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time something like this happened to him. He and Gerard soon separated, silently staring at each other. Neither one of them knew what to do or say next for a bit. Gerard smiled to make the situation at hand seem a little less awkward.  
“Gerard, you should leave soon,” Frank said suddenly. Gerard frowned a little at the thought of parting ways with his father, but knew he had to do what his friend says. After all, he was his special friend.  
“Aww, r-really? O-okay,” Gerard whined.  
“Gerard? You alright?” Donald asked, noticing the grimace on Gerard’s face. Gerard just nodded, a fake smile plastered on his face.  
“Y-yeah, I j-just gotta g-get going s-soon. F-frankie t-told me so. I g-gotta s-see him,” he said. Donald looked at his son silently, skeptical of what he said. He gave him a subtle “you need help” kind of look. He hoped that he didn’t notice what he was really trying to get across to his son.  
“Yeah, okay. I see what you mean,” he replied. “Well then….I don’t know if I’ll be seeing you, but...you keep your head up high, okay?”  
“I w-will,” Gerard said, grabbing his luggage. “I hope I s-see you s-soon, D-daddy,”  
“Sure...you too,” Donald nodded, lying. He knew his chances of seeing his son were very slim. It was best to cover up his honest thoughts and doubts. He watched as Gerard walked away with his bag in his hand, his other one waving goodbye. Gerard made his way further down the street, walking for a while. He looked back at where he previously was with his father, but when he looked, he saw that he was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

After Gerard parted ways with his father, he kept walking through downtown, and is now in the outskirts of it, his feet sore and throbbing from all the aimless walking he’s done. He knew where he was going, but didn’t ever figure out how to get there. All he knew was that he was going to see Frank, but what he didn’t know was where he is. He could be walking further away from wherever Frank may be, for all he knew. Sweating and panting from the exhausting long walks he’s done, Gerard nearly collapsed to the ground, landing right on his can. He may not know exactly where his friend is, but all he knew was that he was not going to give up looking for him, even though it was taking a toll on Gerard’s physical well-being. It’s dark outside. It was late. Gerard was dehydrated and on the verge of passing out. He was so goddamn thirsty and tired.  
“F-frankie, I’m t-tired,” he said, still huffing and puffing from exhaustion.  
“Then rest, Gee,” Frank replied. “But only for a little bit. You still gotta find me,”  
“I know...b-but I’m s-so t-tired!” Gerard groaned. “I’ve b-been w-walking all d-day!”  
“Well then...maybe you should catch a ride or something,” Frank suggested. “You know, like a bus ride or a hitchhike,”  
“Oh?” Gerard said. “I th-think y-you’re right. I sh-should. B-but I d-don’t know if th-there’s a bus s-stop around h-here. I m-might have t-to just hitch a r-ride,”  
“I guess so,” Frank said. “Anything for us to be together,”  
“Y-yeah!” Gerard smiled. He stood up and looked down the road, seeing one car after another pass him by. He held out his hand and did a thumbs up gesture with it as the cars continued to drive past him. None of them even bothered to slow down for him. Gerard’s face furrowed to a look of frustration.  
“It’s okay, Gee. Keep going. One of these cars has gotta stop for us,” Frank replied, his tone of voice full of optimism.  
“B-but none of th-the cars will s-stop for m-me!” Gerard whined, his hand still held out. He really didn’t wanna have to keep walking, but he was already starting to get worried. He knew that hitchhiking was a bad idea, which is obviously why a lot of the cars wouldn’t stop for him. None of them knew who Gerard was, or the kind of person he is. Despite all this, Gerard kept hoping in his mind that someone, anyone, would pull over and let him ride with them. Someone just has to, he thought to himself.  
“Oh!” Gerard exclaimed a little when a car finally pulled over to the side of the road; it’s a silver 2000 Toyota Camry. Gerard stepped closer to get a better look at the car, as well as the kind-hearted driver that (hopefully) decides to help Gerard. In the driver’s seat is a young man, appearing to be somewhere around Gerard’s age. He’s wearing a pair of scrubs under his black jacket and his hair is black, appearing to be styled. He rolled down the window of his car and looked at Gerard, smirking a bit.  
“Need a ride?” he asked. Gerard nodded his head, eager to pick up his bag and get in the car already.  
“Y-yeah, I d-do!” he said. The man licked his lips a bit. This boy he found looks perfect, he thought to himself…  
“Alright, then hop in. Where do you need to go?”  
“I n-need to f-find someone,” Gerard said, buckling up his seat belt after he placed his suitcase in the trunk.  
“And who might this person be?” the driver asked.  
“H-his name is F-frankie. F-frank Iero. I n-need to f-find him. H-he’s my s-special friend,”  
“Hmm...I see. I know exactly who you’re talking about,” the man replied, nodding his head slowly. “Alright, man. I’ll take you there. And your name is?”  
“G-gerard. G-gerard Way,”  
“Nice to meet you. I’m Pete, by the way,” said the driver as he smirked, looking at the young boy. He really did know who he was talking about, and he was gonna take him to him...but only if he got what he wanted in return.  
“Wh-why aren’t w-we going?” Gerard asked impatiently. Pete just kept smiling, taking his free hand off the wheel and stroking Gerard’s thigh gently, his hand stopping just below his crotch area. Unsure what Pete is implying, Gerard just stared dumbly at the hand up close to a personal area of his body.  
“Gerard...there’s something I want you to do for me,” Pete grinned, licking his lips. “Have you ever sucked someone’s cock before?”  
“S-sucked...c-cock?” Gerard repeated. The vulgar term sounded all too familiar to him. Why though? He soon realized it was because he has sucked cock before. He gave Frank head before, to be exact. He remember not caring much for it due to the weird feeling it gave him, and the weird taste that came with it, but he did it to please Frank since that is what he liked. But this isn’t Frank who’s asking him to give head; this is a complete stranger. Gerard had been told by various people, one of them including his psychiatrist, to not give into sexual advances, let alone from people he doesn’t know, but at this point Gerard was willing to do anything to be reunited with Frank. He just hoped that Pete was telling the truth.  
“Yeah, Gerard. You know...giving head?” Pete whispered in Gerard’s ear, his free hand squeezing Gerard’s thigh right below his crotch. “Can you do that for me...pretty please?”  
“Go ahead. Do it,” Frank suddenly said before Gerard could say no. “If he’s honest, then do it. Anything for you to see me again,”  
“Are you...are y-you s-sure?” Gerard asked shakily. “D-dr. Martinez and M-mikey t-tell me th-that s-sucking stranger’s p-pee-pees is d-dangerous,”  
“Gerard, don’t you want to see me again?” Frank asked, his voice laced with a stern tone. “Whatever it takes, Gee. It’s not like you haven’t sucked dick before,”  
“Come on, Gerard...don’t leave me hanging,” Pete pleaded, his voice suave and seducing, yet also menacing and malevolent. “I swear I’ll take you to your little friend if you suck me,”  
“O-okay…,” Gerard stuttered, giving in. He reached for the crotch of Pete’s pants and pulled them down, his bulge clear as day under his underpants. Pete pulled them down for Gerard, revealing his schlong to him. Gerard grabbed it and began to stroke it gently in his hand as he put the tip into his mouth. Pete moaned softly as Gerard gradually put more and more of the man’s dick in his mouth. His tongue swirled around it like a popsicle, pre-cum leaking from it. Pete grabbed a handful of Gerard’s hair and tugged it in his hand, pushing his head down further as it went up and down. Gerard gagged a bit when he was pushed down, but stifled it as he continued to suck and stroke. He hated everything about what he was doing right now. He hated the salty taste of Pete’s cock. He hated how it made him gag as he attempted to deep-throat. He hated the sound of Pete’s moans. It was all nothing like how it was when Gerard would seduce and please Frank. He missed those days, just like he missed him.  
“Come on, suck harder!” Pete said, raising his voice as he shoved Gerard’s head deeper down to his crotch, making Gerard gag some more. He coughed up some saliva as he kept going, trying to please Pete. Gerard went faster as he sucked deeper, his hand still stroking Pete’s cock. He cursed his name in his head, but did what he asked him to keep him happy.  
“L-like th-this?” Gerard asked, his voice muffled as he sucked hard and fast.  
“Oh yeah, just like that…,” Pete moaned. “Oh my god, you’re gonna make me cum. Keep going,”  
“O-okay--”  
“Don’t talk. Just keep sucking!” Pete demanded as he huffed and puffed. “Oh god, it’s coming!”  
Gerard didn’t say a thing after that. He just kept sucking until Pete finally exploded. He ejaculated all over Gerard’s mouth, the taste salty and bitter. Pete looked down at Gerard, prompting him to swallow, and that’s exactly what Gerard did. He let go of Pete’s boner and buckled his seatbelt again, hoping he did enough to please him.  
“That was awesome,” Pete smiled. “You’re not as bad at giving head as I thought you would be,”  
“I-I’m not?” Gerard asked.  
“No. You’re pretty good. It’s like you’ve done this kind of deal before. Now, as promised...I’ll take you to Frank,” Pete said as he started up the engine of his car.  
“Y-yes, please d-do!” Gerard pleaded. He felt his chest constrict as the car began it’s way down the road. He may have just done something he could not forgive himself for, but at least now he’s on his way to see his special friend he’s been separated from.


	11. Chapter 11

Gerard nearly leapt out of the car when Pete pulled up into the parking lot of the St. Mary Memorial hospital. Gerard thanked Pete, despite him making him do something he knew he couldn’t forgive himself for, and grabbed his bag out of the trunk of the car. He rushed through the front doors and made his way to the lobby, nearly losing his breath as he ran. The receptionist lady behind the desk eyed the boy skeptically, asking herself why in the hell he brought a big ass suitcase with him. Behind Gerard, Pete walked through the doors and soon vanished after he walked through some doors behind the desk, the man Gerard gave fellatio to not once crossing his mind.  
“Can I help you?” the receptionist, named Tara, reluctantly asked.  
“I’m h-here to s-see F-frankie,” Gerard replied frantically. “H-he’s my s-special friend!”  
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you’re talking about. Do you know his last name?” Tara replied, her mind already asking itself what in the hell this crazy guy is doing here, and what mental asylum he came from. The boy looked very unstable and shaken, like something happened to him.  
“I-I d-don’t know h-his l-last name! I h-have to see him, th-though! He’s m-my s-special friend! P-please!” Gerard continued, his whole body on edge and shaking with anxiety. Beside him in the waiting room, a somewhat young couple watched Gerard as they sat in a set of chairs near the t.v. They both eyed him in utter shock, not because of the boy’s erratic behavior, but because of something else...they knew who he is. The wife, named Linda, whispered into her husband’s ear as she stared at Gerard. The husband, named Frank, whispered back to her briefly. Linda sighed and shook her head, then sat there staring at the floor for a while until she shook her head and whispered some more in Frank’s ear. They both soon nodded and got up from their seats, walking up to the frazzled boy screaming at the receptionist.  
“Excuse me,” Linda said, tapping Gerard on the shoulder. He turned around and looked at her in a shocked manner, like she just teleported to him right before his eyes.  
“Wh-who are y-you?” Gerard asked, eyeing the woman up and down.  
“I’m Frank’s mother, Linda...and this is my husband, Frank Sr.,” Linda said, nudging to Frank Sr. “Gerard...we know who you’ve come to see,”  
“Y-you’re F-frank’s parents? P-please t-take me t-to him!” Gerard pleaded, jumping up and down where he stood. “P-pretty please, pretty p-please!”  
“Gerard, before we do...there’s some things we need to talk about,” Linda said, holding out her hand to the unstable Gerard. “You gotta calm down, please,”  
“Oh...I’m s-sorry,” Gerard replied, stopping. “B-but why c-can’t I see F-frankie right away? Wh-what do w-we gotta t-talk about?”  
“We’ll explain it. Come with us, we’ll all sit down here in the lobby,” Linda said as she followed her husband to the area of sofa chairs they were sitting at earlier. Gerard walked with them and they all sat down in silence. Gerard briefly looked down at the stack of magazines on the end table next to him, then back up at Linda and Frank Sr.. They whispered to each other for a little bit as they stared at Gerard. Linda’s face contorted to a look of genuine sadness and covered her tearful eyes.  
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Gerard asked the couple. “Why is Frank’s mommy crying?”  
“Gerard...it’s a lot to explain. Frank did some...things to you. Awful things,” Frank Sr. said firmly, holding his wife as she cried.  
“L-like wh-what?”  
“Before we go into detail about that...we want to make sure you know a couple things,” Frank Sr. replied.  
“L-like wh-what?” Gerard asked again.  
“You remember when he came into your life?” Frank Sr. asked. Gerard looked down and tried to look back, but his mind that was once affected with amnesia couldn’t recall that specific time.  
“N-no, I don’t,”  
“Well, it was about six years ago, if we remember correctly. Your mom was looking for someone to watch after you while she was away at work, and we encouraged Frank to take up the opportunity. Do you remember those times he would come over to your house?”  
“Oh, y-yeah. I d-do,” Gerard nodded. “H-he would c-come over and p-play games w-with me,”  
“Well...do you know what kind of…games he would play with you?” Linda asked reluctantly.  
“Y-yeah! H-he would p-play Candyland w-with me, and--”  
“No, Gerard. Not those kind of games,” Frank Sr. interrupted. “We mean...different kind of games, games where he would get...uh, personal with you,”  
“Wh-what do you m-mean?” Gerard asked.  
“Gerard...you remember when Frank would make you...get naked, right?” Linda asked, her voice faltering at the mention of Gerard being molested by her one and only son.  
“Oh y-yeah, I do,” Gerard said, remembering a very murky part of his past. “F-frank would t-take off m-my clothes and m-make me p-play one of h-his g-games. S-sometimes he w-would make m-me suck his p-pee-pee, other t-times he would d-dress me up, and s-sometimes he w-would tie m-me to the b-bed and...f-fuck me,”  
There was a silence that seemed to have gathered within the room. Gerard looked back and forth between Frank Sr. and Linda, who both shifted awkwardly in their seats as they looked away from Gerard and at their feet. After what seemed like a long time, they both refocused their gaze at Gerard.  
“You do realize those things he did to you were wrong, right?” Linda asked, breaking the silence.  
“H-how?” Gerard asked, confused. “M-mikey and Dr. M-martinez tell m-me th-that, b-but...wh-what’s wrong w-with F-frankie p-playing g-games with m-me?”  
“Gerard, do you know what sexual abuse is?” Frank Sr. asked, his eyes staring firmly through his glasses at Gerard. Gerard looked down, trying to pinpoint the words in his mind, the phrase bouncing around in his head. He knew he’s heard the term before, usually from Dr. Martinez, but didn’t know exactly what it meant.  
“Uh...I’ve h-heard of th-that, b-but I d-don’t know wh-what it m-means,” Gerard said.  
“It’s when someone forces sex on you, or any sexual acts. Frank hurt you. He...abused you, Gerard,” Linda replied, stumbling over her words.  
“That wasn’t all that he did to you though,” Frank Sr. added, his voice equally as somber and lacking life as his wife’s. “Do you remember when he kidnapped you, Gerard?”  
“K-kidnapped?” Gerard repeated. “N-no, I d-don’t,”  
“About a few days after you guys first met, Frank decided to kidnap you. He took you with him to a hotel far from home, so he could keep doing what he was doing to you. He also tried to do something else to you after he injured you badly…,”  
“Wh-what?”  
“He...he tried to…,” Linda said shakily.  
“He tried to murder you,” Frank Sr. said, finishing Linda’s sentence.  
“Wh-what? R-really?” Gerard gasped. He couldn’t even begin to imagine his special friend doing such a thing to him, or hurt him like the way he did. He didn’t even think Frank was trying to hurt him. He thought he was just playing one of his games with him. Hearing all this new information about the truth hit Gerard like a freight train. He didn’t know what to think of Frank now. He couldn’t even confront the voice of Frank that he hears in his head, because it seems to have vanished.  
“Yes, Gerard. I know it’s shocking to you, but it’s true. After he hurt you badly, he tried to cover up what he did and….rid of you,” Frank Sr. continued.  
“B-but I s-survived, didn’t I? I’m s-still alive,” Gerard said, pointing a finger to his chest.  
“Yes, and we glad you did. You were very lucky, but for Frank…,” Linda said, her voice trailing off. She grimaced again, trying and failing to hold back tears. She buried her face into her hands as her husband held her, supporting her.  
“Wh-what about F-frank?” Gerard asked, looking at the couple for more answers. Frank Sr. slowly sighed and shook his head before he recollected himself as he held his wife.  
“As for our son, he wasn’t so lucky. He made a decision...one that changed him forever,” Frank Sr. answered. “And that decision is part of the reason why he’s here,”  
“Wh-what do you m-mean?”  
“After Frank tried to...off you, he attempted suicide. He got in his car and ran himself into a semi truck,” Frank Sr. said, the words he uttered sending shivers down his spine.  
“Wh-what?” Gerard stuttered, gasping as his eyes grew wide with shock. “Is h-he okay?”  
“Well...he survived, but...he’s not the same anymore,” Frank Sr. replied, his tone of voice somber and vacant, as well as his eyes.  
“H-how so?” Gerard asked.  
“He was in a coma for several weeks. He lost both his legs from the accident and was left blind in one eye. We never thought he was gonna wake up, but when he did...it was like the mind of a toddler replaced the one of our son’s. He couldn’t walk because his legs were gone and he suffered from a lot of seizures due to the trauma to his head, and he also has to be tube-fed due to the damage to his organs from the crash. He was totally dependent on us to care for him, like a baby. He’s here because his condition is deteriorating rapidly. He doesn’t have very long left to live, Gerard,”  
Gerard didn’t know what to think of all he’s been told. He was shocked, above all else. He was also confused. How could Frank be talking to Gerard in his head with the condition he’s in? None of it made sense to him. It was like something straight out of a nightmare what happened to Frank, and Gerard didn’t know how to comprehend this news.  
“B-but...how c-can F-frank be t-talking to m-me if h-he’s d-dying?” Gerard asked. “I h-hear F-frank’s v-voice in my m-mind, and he s-sent me here--”  
“That’s not Frank,” Frank Sr. said bluntly, cutting off Gerard. “That’s a delusion. It boggles my mind that it sent you here out of all places, but you need to seek professional help if you’re hearing voices in your head. Our son didn’t bring you here. I’m sorry to say this to you Gerard, but a delusion brought you here,”  
“Wh-what?” Gerard nearly exclaimed. “Are y-you serious? H-how is th-that possible?”  
“We really can’t tell you that, but...please, heed our words and get help,” Linda said. Gerard looked down at his hands, as if he were questioning his own existence in this cruel world. What Mikey and Dr. Martinez have been telling him was true. He believed in a lie fabricated by his own imagination. He couldn’t even address the voice in his head to confront him. What was the point anyway? All he’d be doing is arguing with himself. He also couldn’t believe that what Frank has done to him were all under malicious intentions. He thought he was his special friend. Betrayed, Gerard felt the tears run from his eyes as he stared down at his hands. There was a part of him that resented Frank for all he’s done to him, but there was another part of him that was willing to give one thing to Frank--forgiveness. He just wanted all this to be over, and to move on with his life knowing that he was able to acquit his enemy in disguise.  
“I...I w-want to f-forgive F-frankie,” Gerard finally said, looking up at Frank’s parents with his honest and tearful eyes. “M-mikey and mommy t-taught me th-that it’s b-best to f-forgive people and t-to not h-hold grudges. I w-want to s-see Frankie and t-tell him I f-forgive him,”  
“You do? I see,” Frank Sr. said, looking down and taking in Gerard’s request with deep consideration. He turned to his wife. “Honey, should we let Gerard see Frank? It would be a waste if he came all the way here for nothing,”  
“Well...I don’t see why not. Frank likes to have visitors. I mean, we already told Gerard about Frank’s condition, so I guess he knows what he’s getting into,” Linda added.  
“You’re right,” Frank Sr. said, turning back to Gerard. “Gerard, we already told you about the state Frank’s in, so if you want to see him...don’t be shocked, even though it might be hard not to. Are you sure you want to do this?”  
“Y-yes, I do,” Gerard said, standing up. “J-just please t-tell me wh-where he is so I c-can see h-him,”  
Frank Sr. and Linda both looked down as they took in Gerard’s words. After what seemed like several minutes, and both nodded at each other. They looked up at Gerard smiled bittersweetly.  
“Okay. You can see him,” Frank Sr. said. Gerard smiled back and nodded.  
“Wh-where’s his r-room at?” Gerard asked.  
“We’ll take you there. We’ll tell Frank that he has a visitor. He doesn’t like to be alarmed without notice,” Linda said, standing up with her husband. “Isn’t that right, hun?”  
“Yes, it is,” Frank Sr. nodded. “Come on, Gerard. We’ll take you up the elevator and to Frank’s room,”  
“O-okay,” Gerard said, following Frank’s parents out of the lobby and to an elevator. As he did, he felt a pang in his chest as his heart in his chest began to race. He was unsure if he was ready for what he’s about to come face to face with.


	12. Chapter 12

Gerard, Frank Sr, and Linda made their way up the elevator to the fifth floor in silence, the hum of the elevator being the only thing heard. It was so deathly quiet that it made Gerard’s skin crawl. What made his skin crawl even more, however, was the fact that he was to come face to face with the real Frank again, and not the Frank he’s been hearing in his head. He had no clue how to handle something like this, and because of that, he was on edge. His body perspired as it shook uncontrollably, anxiety getting the best of him. His chest constricted as his heart raced. Before he knew it, his vision began to blur as he felt his body lose it’s balance from how dizzy he began to be.  
“Oh, g-god…,” Gerard whispered to himself shakily. “Oh g-god, oh m-my god, oh m-my g-god--”  
“Gerard?” Linda asked suddenly as she put her hand on Gerard’s shoulder. “Gerard, are you alright?”  
“Oh...y-yeah,” Gerard lied. “Yeah, I’m f-fine. J-just n-nervous,”  
“It’s alright. We understand,” Frank Sr. added. “When we get up there, we’ll talk to him and let you know you’re here to see him, alright?”  
“O-okay,” Gerard said as he watched the small screen on top of the elevator door change numbers, counting to five. Gerard felt his insides turn to jelly when the screen showed the number five as the elevator stopped moving. The doors opened, and Gerard just stood there with his feet glued to the floor. He felt powerless as he saw heads turn and stare at him. He was so close to being reunited with Frank after several years, but he didn’t know if he would bear to be faced with Frank’s supposed deteriorating condition.  
“Gerard? You coming?” Linda asked, who was standing in front of Gerard with her husband. Gerard realized that he is so far out of his mind that he didn’t see Linda and Frank Sr. walk ahead of him out of the elevator. As it’s doors began to close, Gerard bolted out and ran up to Linda and Frank Sr., joining them as they began to walk down the hall. He could feel all the eyes of the doctors, nurses, and patients lock onto him, staring through his soul. He didn’t know why they all stared at him, but for whatever reason it may be, it freaked him out. What freaked him out even more is the fact that he’s soon to be faced with Frank, who isn’t the same anymore. Gerard felt his heart stop when Linda and Frank Sr. stopped in front of one of the rooms; room 528 to be exact. This must be Frank’s room, Gerard thought to himself. He’s literally only footsteps away, and Gerard hated himself for the fact that he didn’t come prepared. He perspired and shook with fear as his heart raced, as well as his thoughts. He was a panicking mess to say the least, and now he was crying too.  
“Gerard, it’s okay,” Linda said, putting a comforting hand on Gerard’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard. It is for us too,”  
“I’m s-sorry,” Gerard choked up, tears running down his face. “I’m s-sorry, I’m so--”  
“It’s okay,” Frank Sr. replied, cutting off Gerard. “It’s okay to be scared. We still are too. We’ll go in when you’re ready,”  
“O-okay,” Gerard nodded, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. He peeked inside Frank’s hospital room, with the door cracked open a bit. He knew he had to get in there. He’s got some words to exchange with someone that he thought was his special friend. He paused for a few minutes and then shut his eyes, breathing in and out slowly. He then opened up his eyes. “I’m r-ready,”  
“Okay. I’ll go in there and tell Frank that he’s got a visitor. He doesn’t like to be surprised,” Linda said reluctantly, sounding anything but happy to see her sick son. Her husband gave her a look of reassurance and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before she slowly stepped inside. There was nothing but silence that filled the vicinity, despite the noise of busy doctors and nurses down the hall at the front nursing station. Gerard looked around nervously, then to Frank Sr, whose head was down as his absent eyes stared at the ground. Gerard couldn’t help but notice a wetness in his eyes, with tears falling from them. Gerard suddenly jumped when he heard a shrill cry come from beyond the door of Frank’s room.  
“M-mommy!” it yelled, it’s voice weak and sickly. “M-mommy, mommy, m-mommy!”  
Gerard felt his heart drop to his stomach when he heard that familiar voice. He knew that voice, and it has come back to haunt him. It was the voice of a man that pretended to be Gerard’s friend, but hurt him behind closed doors. It was the voice of a man that he thought he could trust. He thought he could hear this man’s voice in his head, but it all turned out to be a delusion. Now that Gerard has been told nothing but the truth about Frank, he has some words to exchange with him. Linda suddenly stepped out of the room and looked at her husband, then to Gerard, tears also in her eyes just like Frank Sr’s.  
“He’s not doing too well today, but…,” Linda said, sniffling a bit as her voice trailed off. “But I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you, Gerard. He loves visitors, like we said before,”  
“O-okay,” Gerard said, nodding his head, trying to keep himself together and not become an anxious mess again.  
“Are you ready to see him?” Linda asked, to which Gerard nodded again, sealing the deal. Linda turned to her husband, to which he shook his head.  
“I’ll let Gerard have some alone time with Frank. It’s necessary,” he said blankly as he fought to hold back his tears, but failing.  
“Alright, that’s fine,” Linda replied, turning back to Gerard. “Gerard, can you handle being in there by yourself?”  
“Y-yeah, I’ll b-be f-fine,” Gerard said. He could feel his whole body still shaking as his heart raced. He knew what was coming, and he had to get it over with. He has someone in that hospital room to see.  
“Okay. Go on in there whenever you’re ready,” Linda said, her voice subdued to a whisper as she stood by Frank Sr. They both stood to the side of the door, letting Gerard in. Gerard gulped and closed his eyes briefly as he slowly began to step inside, then opened them back up after he set foot inside the room and closed the door behind him. Instead of seeing Frank in the hospital bed, he saw a curtain drawn all the way out, with what appeared to be a silhouette of Frank, appearing to still be in the bed. Gerard breathed deeply, closing his eyes again and breathing in and out slowly. He knew he had to get over himself and get to Frank already. He just didn’t know if he was prepared to see what’s behind that curtain. He opened up his eyes again and pushed himself further into the room past the curtain, now in front of Frank’s bed. He looked over to see him, and like lightning, he felt his soul drain from his body.  
“M-mommy?” Frank asked in his childish voice, his frail body under the covers of his bed and hooked up to a series of machines. His eyes looked as sickly as the rest of him, the blind hazel orbs weak and vacant. Gerard couldn’t help but look away for a moment, grimacing as tears welled up in his eyes. What he just saw left him at a loss of words. He hoped in the back of his mind that what he’s seeing is all some sort of twisted dream, but it wasn’t. Frank is right there in front of him in that hospital bed. Gerard knew this was all real.  
“N-no, Frankie. I’m G-gerard, r-remember?” Gerard asked, taking a seat on a chair at Frank’s bedside as he wiped at his eyes. “Me G-gerard, you F-frankie,”  
“G-gee-rard?” Frank said back, his head turned to his visitor. There was just a part of him that Gerard saw within his almost fully blind eyes, and that was a child-like innocence, despite all the horrible things Frank did to Gerard all those years ago.  
“Yeah...G-gerard,” Gerard repeated, despite Frank pronouncing his name wrong. “I r-remember you w-would call m-me G-ger-bear s-sometimes, but--”  
“G-ger-bear! Y-you G-ger-bear, m-me F-frankie!” Frank said suddenly, his eyes lighting up as he playfully smiled at Gerard. That was when Gerard felt himself grimace again from the tears in his eyes again. He turned away and held his face with his hands. He knew he couldn’t let Frank see him cry.  
“I’m s-sorry, F-frankie,” Gerard sniffled, trying to recollect himself as tears ran from his eyes. He knew it was gonna be hard coming face to face with Frank in the state he is, and right now, he could barely handle it. After a few more minutes, Gerard was able to stop crying and look back at Frank, his eyes raw with tears.  
“Wh-why y-you c-cry, G-ger-bear?” Frank asked, his child-like eyes looking up at Gerard. Gerard cursed to himself under his breath. He didn’t want Frank to see him like this, and he just did.  
“I’m...I’m s-sorry, F-frank. It’s just that…,” Gerard paused, thinking of a lie. He couldn’t tell Frank the truth of why he was crying. He soon thought of something that wasn’t a lie and stuck with it. “B-because I m-miss you,”  
Frank didn’t reply. He just let out a giggle as he began to suck his thumb. Gerard couldn’t help but smile bittersweetly at the child-like man. He was so oblivious to everything, from the fact that he’s close to death, to Gerard crying after seeing the deteriorating state he’s in. But now Gerard had some things to say to Frank. He deeply sighed as he closed his eyes and then opened them back up. He grabbed Frank’s cold hand put it in the both of his, softly wrapping it in them.  
“F-frankie, th-there’s a f-few th-things I n-need to t-tell you,” Gerard said as he continued to hold Frank’s hand. Frank sat there silently, his eyes looking up at Gerard as he continued to suck his thumb.  
“O-okay,” he said, waiting for Gerard to start talking.  
“F-frankie...I always th-thought you w-were my f-friend wh-when w-we first m-met. W-we were b-both younger. Y-you w-were my b-babysitter. Y-you t-told my m-mom that you w-were gonna t-take care of m-me,” Gerard started. He swallowed hard, feeling himself on edge again. “B-but...you d-did some th-things to me. Y-you did b-bad things to m-me. Y-you hurt m-me. Y-you took advantage of m-me. Y-you...v-violated me, F-frankie,”  
As Gerard began to feel himself shake again, he looked over at Frank. The sick boy was still looking up at him with his finger in his mouth. Gerard knew that Frank wouldn’t understand what he was talking about, knowing the state of mind he’s in. But did he notice the state Gerard’s in? He would perhaps never know, but Gerard knew he didn’t come fully prepared for this, confronting Frank and losing his cool in the process. He has to keep going though. He didn’t want his runaway to all be for nothing.  
“Y-you used m-me, F-frankie. Y-you abused m-me. I w-was nothing b-but a sex t-toy to y-you,” Gerard said, more tears running from his eyes. “Y-you t-tried to k-kill me, t-too, F-frankie...Y-you did all th-this to m-me wh-while I th-thought that y-you were m-my friend. I th-thought you w-were my b-best friend…,”  
Distraught and full of sorrow, Gerard covered his eyes and wept into his hands. He sobbed loudly through them as Frank continued to stare, bewildered and ignorant. Gerard cried for a few long minutes until he finally was able to recollect himself. He looked up at Frank as he wiped his eyes.  
“G-gee no c-cry,” Frank said suddenly, still sucking his his thumb as he looked at Gerard. Gerard looked back at him, almost stunned by what Frank said to him. Gerard smiled bittersweetly again, not at all hesitating to lean forward and hug Frank gently. More tears slipped through his eyes as the two embraced.  
“B-but y-you know wh-what, F-frankie?” Gerard said, sniffling. “I f-forgive y-you for all y-you’ve d-done,”  
“I l-love you, G-gee-rard!” Frank said suddenly as he laughed in a carefree way. That was when Gerard felt his heart stop. He resented Frank for all he’s done to him, but Gerard knew he couldn’t hold a grudge against him forever, and that’s why he forgave Frank. But Gerard didn’t know what to think after what Frank just said to him. Gerard didn’t ponder on it for too long, though. He smiled as he wiped away at his tears, still holding Frank.  
“I...I l-love you t-too, F-frankie,” he said. He soon separated from Frank and held on to his hand, rubbing it with his thumb. They both sat in silence as Gerard continued to hold Frank’s hand. Frank’s eyes suddenly started to grow heavy, and he yawned before he slowly began to close his eyes. Gerard smiled sadly as he watched Frank fall asleep.  
“S-sleep well, F-frankie,” Gerard said, still holding Frank’s hand in his. He watched as Frank fell into sleep mode. He looked so peaceful the way he laid in his bed, despite appearing to be fragile and sickly. Gerard couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t last long, though. One of Frank’s machines began to beep loudly, indicating that something has gone wrong with Frank’s body. Dismayed, Gerard watched as Frank’s breaths of air grew labored and his skin turn pale. Gerard immediately panicked, bolting up from his chair and running to the door.  
“S-somebody help!” Gerard yelled, making a dozen heads turn, including Linda and Frank Sr.. “Th-there’s something w-wrong with F-frankie! P-please, someone help--”  
“Gerard, what’s going on?” Linda asked calmly, trying to contain the frantic Gerard.  
“I-it’s F-frankie! S-something’s wrong w-with him! He’s--”  
“Gerard...that can only mean one thing,” Frank Sr. said flatly, looking at Gerard with empty yet serious eyes. He put a hand on Gerard’s shoulder and squeezed it a bit. “It’s his time to go, Gerard,”  
“Wh-what d-do you m-mean?” Gerard asked, his head turning back and forth from Linda’s to Frank Sr’s.  
“We told you that he didn’t have very long left to live, Gerard. Don’t you remember?” Frank Sr. asked, his wife beside him rubbing at her tearful eyes. “He’s passing on, Gerard--”  
“N-no, he c-can’t!” Gerard revolted, backing away from the couple. “Y-you’re both l-lying!”  
Gerard ran back into the room, returning to Frank’s bedside with the machines still beeping loudly, indicating that they’re failing to support Frank’s dying body. He grabbed Frank’s shoulders and began to shake them, his body limp.  
“F-frankie, w-wake up!” Gerard pleaded, his eyes wet with tears. “F-frankie, p-please wake up! P-please!”  
Hearing no response from Frank, Gerard wrapped his arms around him and sobbed loudly into his chest. Behind him, a series of doctors, nurses, and techs rushed into the room and tried to separate Gerard from Frank, but Gerard resisted. He pushed and pulled away from them until a few of the techs got hold of Gerard and forced him out of the room, Gerard’s screams and cries being the only thing heard throughout the vicinity.


	13. Epilogue

(Two months later)

Gerard sat on one of the sofas in the day room as he watched an episode of Lazytown on the the television. At any minute now his brother Mikey was gonna arrive to see Gerard during the visiting hours at the behavioral health hospital he was admitted to a couple months ago. After Frank’s death, everything was a blur to him, from the moment he was found all the way up to the time he was sent to stay here. The only thing he could clearly see in his head other than Frank’s demise was when he saw Pete be taken away by the police after he told the truth of what he made him do in exchange of giving him a ride to the hospital. He knew some way or another he had to pay the consequences for running away from the Rainbow House, but he never imagined he’d be back in a psychiatric hospital. Despite all that, Gerard was well aware that he needed help, and was willing to go through with treatment.  
“Gerard,” a familiar voice called out, one that Gerard didn’t want to hear. He knew who it was, and it was trying to play tricks on him. “Gerard, can you hear me?”  
“G-go away,” Gerard said flatly, his eyes still focused on his show. “Just leave me alone,”  
“Gerard, it’s me, Frankie. Don’t you know?” the voice asked, already losing his patience with Gerard.  
“Y-you’re lying. F-frank’s dead,” Gerard replied, feeling a pang in his chest when he said those last two words. He has learned to come to terms with Frank’s death, but it still hurt him to look back. His face grimaced a bit as he fought back tears. This was just one of the many ways the voice in his head was trying to mess with him.  
“No, Gee. It’s really me. That boy you saw in the hospital was an imposter. He--”  
“Sh-shut up! J-just shut up! You are not Frank!” Gerard yelled, slamming his fists down on the couch. All around him, some other patients stared at him in silence. Gerard cursed under his breath, knowing that he just made a fool of himself. He knew he shouldn’t be too mad about it, though. There are other patients here that have done worse, he thought to himself. He also knew that he was here to get better and get rid of this obnoxious voice in his head. He wanted it gone forever, and was willing to do anything to make that possible, even if it meant taking pills and seeing Dr. Martinez on a weekly basis.  
“Gerard?” a different voice called out, one that was real. It was coming from one of the attendees, a man named Seth. He held a concerned look on his face. He clearly was in earshot of Gerard’s yelling. “Gerard, are you okay?”  
“Y-yeah, I’m s-sorry,” Gerard said, his eyes still glued to the t.v screen.  
“Someone is here to see you,” Seth said, which immediately got Gerard’s attention. He turned around to find his brother in the doorway of the day room, smiling and waving. Gerard immediately got up and ran past Seth, hugging Mikey. Mikey laughed a bit and rubbed Gerard’s back as the brothers embraced each other.  
“Good to see you, Gee,” Mikey whispered. He and Gerard separated, looking each other in the eye.  
“I m-missed you, M-mikey. Th-thank god y-you’re here,” Gerard replied, frowning a bit.  
“I’m sorry. You know I’ve been busy with work. They’re not so generous with letting me take time off to see you,”  
“Well, f-fuck them!” Gerard said, giggling cynically.  
“Gee, watch your mouth! Let’s go sit down,” Mikey said, nudging towards one of the couches. They walked to it and sat down, with LazyTown still playing on the t.v screen.  
“How’s K-kristin and th-the baby?” Gerard asked in an attempt to break the silence that started to grow between him and his brother.  
“Oh, she’s doing good. We’ve got another six months to go,” Mikey replied. “We’ve been arguing over whether the baby’s gonna be a boy or a girl. My bet’s on a boy, but Kristen thinks it’s gonna be a girl. What do you think, Gee?”  
“Hmmm….,” Gerard said, looking down and thinking for a bit. He cursed in his head when he felt a familiar yet unwanted presence return.  
“Gerard, listen to me! I am Frank! Don’t you remember?” the voice yelled in Gerard’s head, echoing throughout it. Paying no mind to it, Gerard looked back up with his answer.  
“I-I think it’s g-gonna be a g-girl too,” Gerard said, looking at his brother with confidence.  
“Oh, come on! I thought I was gonna have your vote!” Mikey laughed playfully. “Oh well. Boy or girl, it’ll still be my precious child. Hard to believe that I’m gonna be a father,”  
“Y-yeah, and I-I’m g-gonna b-be an uncle!” Gerard exclaimed, smiling. “I’m g-gonna be a g-good one, too!”  
“I know, Gee. Right now you just gotta focus on getting better. I talked with some of the nurses and counselors on the phone before I got here. They all say you’ve been doing well. Keep it up and you’ll be outta here in no time!”  
“Y-yeah!” Gerard said, keeping his smile plastered on his face. Deep down, he was uncomfortable and irritated with the annoying voice in his head.  
“Come on, Gee! You know it’s me!” it said, raising it’s voice. “Just listen to me, please!”  
“Sh-shut up!” Gerard growled through clenched teeth, his patience vanishing. The last thing he wanted was this voice pretending to be Frank bother him while his brother visited. Now it was getting in the way of that, and Gerard was starting to lose his cool.  
“Gee, are you okay?” Mikey asked, exchanging a concerned look to Gerard.  
“Y-yeah, I’m f-fine,” Gerard said, waving a hand as he planted his face into his hand. Mikey, who wasn’t buying what his brother just told him, continued to stare at Gerard in a concerned manner.  
“Are you sure, Gee?” Mikey asked.  
“Y-yeah...It’s j-just that…,”  
“What?”  
“I-I….I th-think it’s about t-time I t-take my m-medication,” Gerard said, spilling a part of the truth. He shut his eyes and continued to lean his head into his hand, feeling it throb from how irritated he currently is.  
“You think so? Is...that voice bothering you?” Mikey asked, his voice putting an emphasis on the mentioning of the voice inside Gerard’s head. Gerard reluctantly nodded his head. At that moment, a nurse named Connie came over with Gerard’s medications in a small paper cup, as well as a small Dixie cup filled with water. She offered a friendly smile to the patient and his visitor.  
“Gerard, here are your pills,” she said, handing them to Gerard.  
“No, Gerard. Don’t take them! They’ll do you no good!” the voice yelled. Ignoring it, Gerard grabbed the cup of pills with his water. He put the pills in his mouth and swallowed them down with the water. The voice screamed, laced with venom and rage.  
“Th-thank you,” Gerard said to the nurse, who nodded and walked off.  
“Gerard, what the fuck did you just do? You know those pills will make me go away! You son of a bitch!” the voice exclaimed. “You’re gonna pay for what you just did! I swear you will!”  
“Wh-whatever,” Gerard said blankly, focusing on the t.v again.  
“You’re gonna pay, motherfucker! One day you will….,” the voice barked, growing more and more quiet. Slowly, it began to fade away, leaving Gerard’s head blank. With the voice gone, Gerard smiled turning back to Mikey.  
“You alright, Gee?” Mikey asked.  
“Y-yeah, b-better. Wh-why don’t w-we watch s-some t-t.v?” Gerard asked, smiling.  
“Yeah, sounds good. I heard there’s a Harry Potter movie marathon on channel thirty. How about if we watch that?” Mikey suggested.  
“S-sure,” Gerard said, grabbing the remote and changing the channel to the one playing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Gerard smiled and leaned his head on Mikey’s shoulder, and together they watched the movie in silence.


End file.
